Commercial Counsel, GTM

About the role

Canva is seeking a Commercial Counsel, GTM to join its legal team in Austin. This role focuses on supporting go-to-market commercial activities and providing legal guidance across commercial agreements and partnerships. The position works closely with business and product teams to ensure compliance and risk management in commercial dealings and market-facing transactions. The ideal candidate brings significant experience in commercial law and a strong interest in the technology and creative industries.

Key facts

What you'll do

Review and negotiate commercial contracts related to go-to-market initiatives, partnerships, and customer-facing agreements across multiple business units. Advise internal stakeholders on legal implications of commercial strategies, market expansion plans, and new product launch activities. Draft and revise standard agreements used in customer-facing commercial transactions, ensuring alignment with company policies and risk thresholds. Collaborate with the GTM team to structure deals, identify legal considerations early, and recommend approaches to mitigate contractual risk. Monitor regulatory developments and industry trends that may affect commercial operations, customer agreements, and go-to-market legal frameworks. Support the creation and maintenance of templates and playbooks for commercial legal processes to improve efficiency and consistency. Coordinate with external counsel on complex or high-risk contractual matters, managing relationships and ensuring quality of outside legal work. Provide training and guidance to business teams on contract terms, negotiation strategies, and legal best practices for commercial dealings. Assess vendor and supplier agreements for compliance with company policies, industry standards, and applicable regulatory requirements. Manage the legal review pipeline to ensure timely turnaround on commercial requests while maintaining thorough quality control. Evaluate partnership and distribution agreements to align with company commercial objectives, risk tolerance, and long-term strategic goals. Identify opportunities to streamline legal workflows and improve the commercial contracting process across the organization.

Requirements

Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing in a relevant jurisdiction. Minimum of seven years of experience in commercial law at a law firm or in-house legal department within a technology company. Demonstrated experience negotiating and drafting commercial contracts in a technology, SaaS, or digital platform environment with significant transaction volume. Strong understanding of intellectual property rights, licensing frameworks, and their intersection with commercial agreements and customer-facing terms. Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain legal concepts clearly and persuasively to non-lawyer audiences. Proven ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional business teams in a fast-paced, high-growth, and dynamic organizational setting. Experience managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines in a high-volume contract review and negotiation environment with competing demands. Familiarity with data privacy regulations and their practical impact on commercial terms, customer agreements, and go-to-market operations. Comfort with a degree of ambiguity and the ability to operate independently while escalating appropriately when needed.

Nice to have

Experience working in a high-growth technology company or startup environment where legal support scales with business needs. Background in advising on international commercial agreements, cross-border transactions, and multi-jurisdictional regulatory considerations. Knowledge of advertising and marketing regulations relevant to digital platforms, online services, and consumer-facing products. Prior experience building, improving, or restructuring legal processes within an in-house legal department or legal operations function. Familiarity with open-source software licensing and its implications for commercial product offerings and third-party integrations.

Skills & tools

Proficiency in contract management software and legal technology platforms for document tracking, version control, and obligation management. Strong analytical skills for interpreting complex commercial terms, identifying risk provisions, and proposing practical solutions. Ability to use document automation tools and templates to streamline agreement creation, review, and approval workflows. Familiarity with corporate governance frameworks, board-level legal matters, and governance reporting requirements. Competence in managing legal databases, tracking contract obligations, renewal dates, and key milestone deadlines. Experience with e-signature platforms and digital transaction management systems for remote and hybrid execution environments. Solid understanding of corporate commercial law principles including liability, indemnification, limitation of liability, and warranty provisions.

Practical notes

This role is based in Austin, Texas, with a full-time schedule and regular on-site presence at the Austin office. The position reports to the head of legal or general counsel at Canva and works within the broader legal team. Candidates should expect to handle a high volume of commercial matters with varying degrees of complexity and urgency. The hiring process includes multiple rounds of interviews with both legal and business stakeholders to assess fit. Canva offers a collaborative work environment with opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and growth within the legal function.

About the company

Canva is an online design and visual communication platform with a mission to empower everyone to design anything. Founded by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams in 2013, Canva has over 190 million monthly active users and was valued at $26 billion in 2024.