Head of Design Research (AI)

TL;DR

Head of Design Research (AI): Leading the Design Research team to inform product vision and company goals in the AI era with an accent on generative and evaluative research methods. Focus on scaling research capabilities, integrating AI-assisted techniques, and driving product strategy to improve user experience.

Location: Must be based in Australia (Flexible/Hybrid options across campuses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide)

Company

Canva is a global visual communications platform empowering the world to design.

What you will do

• Lead, mentor, and grow the Design Research team, establishing consistent standards for generative and evaluative methods.
• Craft and lead a design research strategy that informs long-term product vision and opportunities within the AI landscape.
• Identify and resolve user issues across product surfaces to ensure an objectively high quality bar.
• Enable product teams to conduct confident self-serve research through training, templates, and shared frameworks.
• Manage and evolve the research tool ecosystem, integrating AI-enabled platforms to improve insight generation.
• Partner with senior leaders across Product, Design, Engineering, and Data to drive business and product strategy.

Requirements

• Seasoned leadership experience with deep expertise in generative, evaluative, and mixed-methods research.
• Proven ability to integrate emerging AI capabilities into meaningful research practice.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills for partnering with senior executives and ICs.
• Passion for using research to drive high-level business strategy and specific product details.
• Ability to act as a force multiplier by unlocking other product teams to conduct their own research.

Culture & Benefits

• Equity packages to share in the company's success.
• Inclusive parental leave policy supporting all parents and carers.
• Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, and office setup.
• Flexible leave options to support personal needs and recharging.
• Flexible work arrangements with choice in how and where you work across Australian campuses.