Arabic SEO Generalist - MENA (12 month contract)

Job Description

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte!

Thanks for stopping by. We know job hunting can be a little time consuming and you're probably keen to find out what's on offer, so we'll get straight to the point.

Where and how you can work

Alongside our global campuses, we also collaborate with talented contractors and freelancers from all over the world to help us achieve our crazy big goals.

While we support flexible ways of working, for this role it would be great to have someone who can join in a hybrid capacity once we have our Dubai office set up, so we can best support our teams and keep collaboration flowing.

Please note: This role is a 12-month fixed term employee contract (full time hours) with potential to stay beyond 12 months.

About the team

As SEO Generalist for MENA (focussing on GCC & Egypt), you'll be part of both the Organic Growth speciality and International Supergroup, working in a dual alignment model, embedded in your Country team locally while contributing predominantly to the global outreach team.

The International Supergroup is becoming Canva's biggest growth driver in 2026 and beyond. To reach our foundational goal of having 1 in 5 internet users use Canva every month, we're shifting from translating English successes to implementing truly local strategies that resonate with and convert local audiences.

About the role

As a SEO Generalist for MENA, you'll contribute to core aspects of SEO — from hands-on content creation and localized research to running link building campaign, all the way to performance monitoring and reporting.

This role is ideal for someone early in their SEO journey who’s looking to develop strong technical foundations, grow their strategic thinking, and build toward increased ownership and leadership over time. You’ll collaborate closely with the MENA SEO Lead, MENA SEO Content Specialist and other SEO colleagues around the world.

What you’ll be doing

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 flavour of the type of things you'll be working on when you start, but this will likely evolve.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

Outreach, Link Building & AI Citations (GEO)

• Identify relevant external websites, publishers and partners for link-building and brand-mention opportunities across the Arabic/MENA web, and run outreach using tailored messaging aligned with Canva's brand and ethical standards.
• Build and run campaigns that earn Canva citations and mentions in AI answer engines by securing placements on the high-authority, frequently-cited sources these models draw from (industry roundups, "best tools" lists, comparison pages, reputable Arabic media and reference sites).
• Reclaim unlinked brand mentions and pursue placements on the listicles, directories and reference pages (including Arabic Wikipedia and equivalents) that disproportionately feed LLM answers.
• Monitor how often — and how — Canva is mentioned and cited in AI answers for priority Arabic queries, and feed those insights back into the outreach and content roadmap.
• Research and build prospect lists using Canva's proven frameworks: guest posting, resource-page insertions, and broken-link building.
• Analyse competitor backlink and AI-citation profiles to uncover replicable opportunities.
• Prioritise prospects based on relevance, authority, likelihood of success, and citation potential.
• Maintain accurate documentation and tracking of campaigns, link quality, AI-mention coverage and SEO performance metrics, and communicate results to relevant Canva stakeholders.
• Ensure all activity adheres strictly to white-hat practices and Canva's quality guidelines.

Content Creation & Optimization

• Support the creation, optimisation, and publication of SEO-driven content for Canva’s key landing pages and blog posts in Arabic.
• Use local insights, keyword research, and SEO tools to identify content opportunities that drive traffic, visibility, and engagement across priority pages.

SEO & Country Team Collaboration

• Partner closely with the Country SEO Lead to support broader SEO initiatives and contribute outreach insights that inform local strategy
• Collaborate with the broader MENA marketing, community, partnerships, and product teams to identify opportunities that strengthen brand visibility and organic growth
• Proactively apply outreach expertise to amplify regional campaigns, partnerships, launches, and events through strategic visibility opportunities

Innovation, Experimentation & AI Enablement

• Embrace emerging AI tools and evolving search trends to improve outreach workflows, scale impact, and identify new growth opportunities
• Continuously experiment with outreach tactics, messaging, platforms, and automation approaches to optimise performance and stay ahead of industry changes
• Share learnings, successful workflows, and best practices with local and global teams to contribute to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement
• Bring a user-first perspective to SEO initiatives, proactively identifying opportunities to improve the search-to-conversion experience.
• Propose creative solutions and fresh ideas that enhance how Arabic users discover and engage with Canva.

You're probably a match if you

• Native Arabic speaker with strong understanding of regional dialects and business-level English.
• Experience in link building, digital PR, content marketing, or similar outreach-focused roles, with a solid understanding of SEO fundamentals.
• Confident building authentic relationships with publishers, creators, and partners.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences.
• Detail-oriented and data-informed, with strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple outreach initiatives.
• Experience working with CMS platforms and structured content briefs.
• Familiarity with SEO tools (e.g. Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog) and/or outreach platforms (e.g. Pitchbox, BuzzStream).
• Growth mindset with a willingness to learn, seek feedback, and continuously improve.
• Proactive in identifying opportunities to enhance user experience and challenge existing approaches.
• Quick to learn new software and comfortable using AI tools for research, drafting, and analysis; basic knowledge of LLMs is a plus.
• Thrive in cross-functional, collaborative environments and global teams.
• Enjoy testing new outreach strategies, exploring tools, and using AI to scale impact.
• Experience creating content or assets that support outreach campaigns.
• Familiarity with search engines, social platforms, communities, and networks across the Arabic/MENA market.

What you’ll learn and how you’ll develop

• Develop strategic SEO skills across technical, content, and authority pillars—growing beyond pure execution
• Learn international best practices and how to localize them.
• Grow your ability to analyze search data and user behavior.
• Work closely with global SEO experts to build strategic thinking.
• Build a strong foundation for long-term growth in content and organic search.
• Become proficient in AI-powered workflows that multiply your productivity and effectiveness
• Contribute to a global knowledge-sharing culture where your insights shape international outreach strategy

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions to engage contractors based on your experience, skills and passion. When you signify interest, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the contractor-accreditation interview process.

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually. Please complete your application in English.

We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva so even if you don’t feel like your skills quite match what’s listed above - we still want to hear from you!

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.