Real Estate Partnerships Manager (Contract)

Work location & flexibility

Our flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, and we also have a campus in Austin, Texas for US operations. Employees can choose the balance of remote and on‑site work that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.

About the role

• Own MLS onboarding end‑to‑end: act as the single point of accountability from deal close, coordinate kickoff calls, track every active case, and keep customers, MLSs, brokerages, and internal teams aligned through to go‑live.
• Navigate forms, agreements, and vendor registration: complete MLS vendor questionnaires, prepare data‑license agreements, secure necessary approvals, manage fee payments, and serve as an authorized signer for Canva across MLS partnerships.
• Build the playbook, then run it: design and own a repeatable, documented onboarding process that scales with Canva’s growth in the Real Estate vertical.
• Own compliance and audit: review all active MLS connections for compliance gaps, manage renewals, and partner with finance and legal to keep every connection on solid ground.
• Be the internal MLS expert: advise Product on data requirements and roadmap decisions, flag compliance considerations, and help the team understand best‑in‑class standards for this space.
• Drive automation and efficiency: continuously look for ways to cut onboarding time and reduce manual steps in the process.
• Manage and grow Canva’s PropTech partner ecosystem: identify and stand up new real‑estate data partnerships, deepen engagement, and represent Canva at industry conferences and events.

Qualifications

• 5+ years working directly with or within MLSs, real‑estate data providers, or real‑estate technology companies, with strong industry relationships.
• Deep MLS expertise and technical fluency: solid knowledge of US MLS operations—including IDX/VOW licensing, RESO standards, brokerage data‑release agreements, and related compliance requirements.
• Legal and commercial comfort: understanding of legal considerations around MLS partnerships and ability to act as an authorized signer in negotiations and onboarding forms.
• Process builder: experience building or running complex, multi‑party workflows (e.g., Airtable or similar tools) and creating order from ambiguity.
• Communicator and translator: ability to turn complex MLS requirements into clear, actionable briefs for legal, product, and engineering audiences, and to represent Canva professionally in external negotiations.
• Self‑directed and detail‑oriented: capable of prioritising a complex, high‑stakes workload without constant supervision, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
• Industry connections: deep relationships with PropTech companies such as Cloze, Rechat, MoxiWorks, Lofty, Local Logic, and LiveBy.
• API/MCP fluency: basic understanding of REST APIs, AppSDKs, and MCPs.
• AI power user: proficient with AI tools beyond chatbots (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT), building skills and scheduled tasks to multiply output.
• Bonus: experience with Constellation Data Labs, Cotality, or similar MLS data aggregators; familiarity with CREA or Canadian MLS systems; background in real‑estate law or data compliance.

Skills

• Technical knowledge of US MLS operations, IDX/VOW licensing, and RESO standards.
• Legal negotiation and commercial agreement drafting.
• Workflow automation and multi‑party process design (Airtable or similar).
• Cross‑functional communication and translation of technical requirements.
• REST API and MCP fundamentals.
• Advanced AI tool utilization for productivity.
• Relationship building with PropTech partners and industry stakeholders.

About the team

As the Real Estate Partnerships Manager, you will be the single owner of MLS onboarding and Real Estate Tech Partnerships at Canva—the connective tissue between Sales, Legal, Product, our data partner Constellation Data Labs, MLSs, and our customers. You’ll start by taking full ownership of every active MLS onboarding case, auditing existing connections, and building a documented, repeatable process from the ground up. From there, you’ll expand your impact to existing and new real‑estate partnerships that help our customers get more value from Canva and drive growth across the vertical. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, builds trust across a wide range of stakeholders, and takes real ownership of a process that currently lacks a dedicated owner.

Other information

We make hiring decisions based on experience, skills, merit, and business needs, in compliance with applicable local laws. We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds, so even if you don’t feel you match every listed requirement, we still want to hear from you. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process. Interviews are conducted virtually. Learn more at lifeatcanva.com.