Growth Marketer - Middle East, North Africa & Pakistan (Dubai based)

About the Team

Our goal is to make Canva the default creative and design application across MENAP, and the most beloved brand in the region. We see a massive opportunity for significant expansion if Canva can execute on our strategy effectively - you will be a core member of this team.

International Growth Marketing is an entrepreneurial, cross‑functional team that turns bold strategy into culturally resonant execution. We partner closely with Product, Brand, Comms/PR, Partnerships, Education, Creator/Community, and Sales to build earned‑first momentum, scale what works across countries, and do more with less.

About the Role

As Growth Marketing Lead for MENAP, you’ll lead integrated brand and adoption programs across the region, crafting narratives, shipping scrappy, high‑leverage campaigns, and building partnerships that multiply reach. You will interface and collaborate with the Heads of Marketing across global regions to co‑create playbooks, coordinate multi‑country launches, and share what works.

Your focus is regional brand awareness and adoption: driving awareness, consideration, preference, and organic usage through PR and communications, creator/influencer programs, social and content, community initiatives, partnerships, events/activations, and lifecycle/CRM. You’ll partner with Performance Marketing as a complement—not a dependency—using paid to amplify great ideas when needed. You’ll measure what matters (brand lift, SOV, incremental reach, MAU lift) and bring market truths back to global teams.

What you’ll do

• Own the MENAP brand & marketing strategy: Set a region‑wide strategy and country playbooks that balance long‑term brand building with short‑term growth levers.

• Ship integrated campaigns at scale, on lean budgets: Orchestrate brand, content, social, PR/comms, community, creator/influencer, partnerships, lifecycle/CRM, events/activations, and owned channels; partner with Performance Marketing (you don’t have to buy media to move markets).

• Lead major national & multi‑country launches: Craft narratives, write sharp creative briefs, guide world‑class creative, and localize for cultural nuance (Arabic, Urdu and other languages via agencies/partners).

• Build earned‑first momentum: Drive PR moments, creator challenges, social storytelling, and grassroots/community programs that punch above their spend.

• Stand up partnerships that multiply reach: Co‑market with platforms, telcos, marketplaces, education & public‑sector bodies, media networks, and creator ecosystems.

• Grow and coach a small, mighty team: Hire, mentor, and manage a hybrid bench of FTEs, agencies, and freelancers; raise the creative bar while protecting focus.

• Own measurement beyond last‑click: Define KPIs across brand health (awareness, consideration, preference, SOV), organic growth (sign‑ups, MAU lift, engagement), and campaign effectiveness (brand lift, reach/quality, cost per incremental outcome).

• Institutionalize what works: Codify playbooks, toolkits, and scalable templates so great ideas travel across MENAP quickly and efficiently.

• Be the region’s storyteller & advocate: Serve as spokesperson when needed; bring market truths and customer insight back to global teams to influence roadmap and resourcing.

• Operate like a founder: Set goals, manage budgets, ruthlessly prioritize, and roll up your sleeves to get things shipped.

What you’ll bring

• Breadth + depth: 10+ years across brand, integrated and go‑to‑market marketing, including startup/scale‑up experience and leading large national/international campaigns.

• Proven scrappiness: A track record of building beloved brands with minimal spend—creative hacks, partnerships, and earned media over pure paid.

• Regional fluency: Hands‑on experience marketing in multiple MENAP countries; instinct for cultural nuance and local storytelling.

• Data‑smart judgment: Comfortable with brand/communications measurement, uplift studies, MMM/MTA basics, and tying brand to business outcomes.

• Team builder: Experience hiring and coaching diverse, high‑performing teams; adept at leading agencies and creators.

• Cross‑functional influence: Strong partner to Product, Comms/PR, Partnerships, Community, and Performance Marketing; executive presence with senior stakeholders.

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal English; Arabic and/or Urdu (or another MENAP language) is a strong plus.

• Mobility: Willingness to travel across the region for key launches, partner moments, and market development.