Japan SEO Content Specialist - 12months contract at Canva · Tokyo

Job Description

About the Group/Team

The International SEO team sits within Canva’s Growth SuperGroup and plays a critical role in helping users across the globe discover Canva through search. We work across markets, languages, and content surfaces—from templates to landing pages—driving both top-of-funnel growth and long-term user value.

Our team thrives on combining craft excellence with systems thinking, making SEO a force multiplier for international impact.

About the role

As Canva scales, change continues to be part of our DNA. But we like to think that's all part of the fun. So this will give you the flavor of the type of things you'll be working on when you start, but this will likely evolve.

Canva's SEO is world-class, and we're looking for a passionate SEO Content Specialist to join the International SEO team to help scale our next phase of growth in Japan! This is a 12-month contract, working full-time - 40 hours per week role.

The SEO Content Specialist will work closely with the Japan SEO Lead and local team. The role of an SEO Content Specialist is to create and manage engaging, SEO-optimized copy and content that informs, inspires, and converts local audiences.

As an SEO Content Specialist, you will provide initiative, direction, and support to create helpful and culturally relevant content for users in the Japan market. You are a native Japanese speaker with proficient reading and writing skills in English, and having conversational English abilities is a nice to have.

Canva is a fast-growing, mission-driven company, and we're looking for talented people who want to contribute to something meaningful. If you're excited about the opportunity to make an impact, show us what you've got—strong performers in this role have significant opportunities to grow with us.

About the team

The International SEO team is responsible for improving SEO performance of logged-out pages across the Canva website. Our mission in SEO is to empower every user in the world to discover Canva.

We're a global team of specialists spanning keyword research, technical SEO, content strategy, outreach, engineering, data analytics, design, and operations. We work across many regions and languages, combining proven frameworks with deep local market expertise.

What you’ll do (responsibilities)

Content Creation & Optimization

• Champion content requirements for landing pages and blog articles, supporting the development of long-term content strategy by maintaining an up-to-date editorial calendar and publishing plan
• Create and edit SEO-optimized, engaging content about various design topics that align with the SEO team's content strategy and resonate with local audiences
• Upload and publish content that follows the latest SEO best practices and fits our local tone of voice (as defined by our language managers)
• Regularly track and optimize landing pages to maintain freshness, improve content credibility, and enhance user engagement
• Maintain a high level of quality and consistency in alignment with Canva's brand guidelines
• Provide feedback on content management systems, translation quality, and page layout to continuously improve efficiency and quality

Collaboration & Strategic Partnership

• Work closely with the wider Japan SEO team to align on goals, priorities, and SEO best practices that drive growth
• Support broader SEO activities such as keyword research, competitor analysis, and collaboration with Outreach Specialists for content production
• Collaborate with the country SEO team and broader marketing/community teams to ensure content strategy reflects local market dynamics and user needs
• Contribute local market intelligence and user insights that inform content priorities and opportunity identification
• Build relationships across functions to understand how your content work supports broader country initiatives

Navigating the Evolution of Search & Discovery

• Stay curious about emerging search and discovery trends in your market—including how users find information through AI-powered platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, etc.)
• Understand where traditional SEO drives value versus where new channels and approaches may be more effective in your country
• Stay up to date on GEO/AEO evolutions and next-generation optimization techniques
• Be open to experimenting with new content formats and optimization approaches as the search landscape evolves
• Share observations and learnings about how users in your market discover content, contributing to our global understanding of emerging trends

Qualifications

What we're looking for

Core Skills & Experience

• Native or near-native proficiency in Japanese with business-level English
• Proven experience in SEO content writing and/or content marketing, with a portfolio demonstrating successful outcomes (minimum of 3 years of SEO experience required)
• Strong copywriting and copy editing skills, including experience giving constructive feedback to other writers
• Experience with editorial planning and publishing content in a CMS (content management system)
• Solid understanding of SEO fundamentals: keyword optimization, content structure, user intent, and how content fits within broader SEO strategy
• Familiarity with SEO tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or similar platforms (bonus!)
• Experience using web analytics tools to understand how users engage with content and to measure content performance
• High attention to detail with the ability to closely follow detailed written instructions and maintain quality standards
• Strong time management: Ability to self-manage capacity, meet project deadlines, and balance multiple priorities
• Experience in creating landing page assets

Cultural & Market Intelligence

• Deep understanding of local cultural and linguistic nuances that goes beyond language fluency—you know what resonates with audiences in your market
• Appreciation of local writing trends and content preferences, ensuring content feels native rather than translated
• Ability to identify opportunities specific to your market that may not be obvious from a global perspective

Collaboration & Communication

• Excellent communication skills: Clear, proactive, and transparent in both written and verbal communication
• Collaborative mindset: You build relationships easily, work well across teams, and contribute positively to team culture
• Willingness to give and receive feedback constructively, always aiming to improve quality and impact

Future-Oriented & Adaptable Mindset

• Curiosity about emerging channels: You're actively interested in how discovery is evolving—including AI search, LLMs, social search, and new platforms—and you're eager to learn
• Comfort with ambiguity: You can experiment with new approaches (like content formatting for AI-generated answers) even when best practices are still being established
• Channel-agnostic thinking: You understand that "SEO" increasingly means "discoverability"—whether through traditional search engines, AI tools, social platforms, or channels yet to emerge
• Data-driven adaptability: You can objectively assess what's working and adjust your approach based on performance and market signals
• Early adopter energy: You're the type of person who's already exploring how Canva appears in new discovery channels, bringing insights and ideas rather than waiting for direction

Bonuses

• Familiarity with YouTube SEO and video content discoverability, given YouTube's strong presence in the Japanese search landscape
• Prior experience in SEO strategy development and planning is a plus

Additional Information

The A-Player Standard

We're setting a high bar—because International is becoming Canva's biggest growth driver, and we need exceptional people driving it.

What "A-Player" means in this role:

• Strategic thinker: You define what should be done and why (not just execute)
• Relationship builder: You make collaboration easy and productive
• Problem solver: You're resourceful and resilient when challenges arise
• Data-driven: You use insights to drive decisions and demonstrate impact
• Ownership mindset: You act like it's your business, not just your job
• Growth-oriented: You're constantly learning, adapting, and improving