Warm Hires
← All jobs
Canva logo

Business Development Representative (Higher Education - Public Sector)

Canva · Media & creators
Hybrid, 3 days/week in office: Austin, TX; must live near Austin, TX (in office Tuesday-Thursday)
SDR / BDREntry-level friendly

Opens the job on Canva's own careers site. Some companies ask you to create an account or click through another page first.

At a glance

What you'd actually do: Cold call, email and social-sell to faculty, marketing teams and campus leaders at universities to build pipeline for Canva's Higher Education account executives.

Pay
Not listed
No pay figures in the posting
Where you work
Hybrid, 3 days/week in office: Austin, TX; must live near Austin, TX (in office Tuesday-Thursday)
Selling to
SMB, mid-market and real estate teams
How you'd sell
Mostly outbound (cold calls, emails)
Experience asked
None
Tools you'll use
Salesforce, Pocus, Outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Gong
Training
Mentions a training program
Promotion path
Many BDRs grow into Account Executive and leadership roles

Your game plan for this job

0 of 5 done

Most people just hit Apply. Do these first and you show up with someone on the inside.

  1. 1
    Pick 2–3 people at Canva
    We found 45 current reps: 5 SDRs, 40 AEs, 23 living near this job. SDRs reply the most; they were in your shoes recently. See them ↓
  2. 2
    Send a short, curious note
    Ask about their experience, not for a referral. We write it for you, with the role and what Canva sells.
  3. 3
    Have a 15-minute chat
    Good questions for this role:
    • What does a normal day look like for you?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
    • The role is mostly outbound. How much is calling vs. email vs. LinkedIn?
    • The posting mentions Salesforce, Pocus, Outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Gong. How much of your day is in those tools?
  4. 4
    Apply, ideally with a referral
    If the chat went well, ask if they'd refer you or point you to the hiring manager. Then apply and let them know so they can flag it.
  5. 5
    Prep for the role play
    SDR interviews almost always end in a mock cold call. Practice with the Canva cheat sheet and the role-play guide.

Talk to someone at Canva before you apply

A friendly message to a current rep is the best way to stand out. Ask about their experience, not for a referral.

  • JS
    Julia Saavedra
    Business Development Representative
    📍 Austin, Texas
    SDR / BDR
    ● Lives near this job (Austin area)

    | Enterprise Consultant | @Canva

    Confirmed at Canva Oct 18
  • MG
    Marie Giambrone
    Business Development Representative
    📍 Austin, Texas
    SDR / BDR
    ● Lives near this job (Austin area)

    Strategic Specialist at Canva

    Confirmed at Canva Oct 18
  • MZ
    Mia Zaldivar
    Business Development Representative - Government & Healthcare
    📍 Austin, Texas
    SDR / BDR
    ● Lives near this job (Austin area)

    Canva for Government & Healthcare

    Confirmed at Canva Oct 18
  • MH
    Morgan Haught
    Strategic BDR
    📍 Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area
    SDR / BDR
    ● Lives near this job (Austin area)

    GTM at Canva

    Confirmed at Canva Oct 18
  • ZE
    Zoe Estep Shaw
    Business Development Representative
    📍 Austin, Texas
    SDR / BDR
    ● Lives near this job (Austin area)
    Confirmed at Canva Oct 18
  • AZ
    Allie Ziober
    Account Executive Public Sector - Government & Healthcare
    📍 Austin, Texas
    AE
    ● Lives near this job (Austin area)

    Account Executive

    Confirmed at Canva Oct 18

"Lives near" uses the location on their public profile, not where they work from. From public search results. Is this you? Ask to be removed

Full job description

Company Description

Job Description

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design — including how students, educators, and universities bring ideas to life.

Hello, 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

Our flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, but we've made our way from down under, to a campus in Austin, Texas which is now home to our US operations. We are in office Tuesday-Thursday with the option to work remote or in office on Mondays and Fridays.

What you’d be doing in this role

As Canva scales, change continues to be part of our DNA. But we like to think that's all part of the fun. This will give you a flavor of what you’ll work on — and it will evolve as you grow.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

Collaborate closely with Sales teams to identify and pursue strategic opportunities within Higher Education institutions (universities, colleges, and academic systems)

Build pipeline through outbound strategies like cold calling, emailing, and social selling — connecting with stakeholders such as faculty, marketing teams, and campus leadership

Learn how universities operate, including key priorities like student engagement, digital transformation, and accessibility, and align Canva’s solutions to those needs

Gain in-depth knowledge of Canva’s platform and how it empowers students, educators, and staff to design, collaborate, and communicate visually

Work cross-functionally with marketing, product, and customer success teams to support campaigns and initiatives tailored to the Public Sector

Learn and apply sales strategies that connect Canva’s solutions to real-world use cases on campus (presentations, coursework, branding, internal communications, and more)

Utilize tools like Salesforce, Pocus, Outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, and Gong to build and manage pipeline

Deliver on weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance goals while continuously learning and improving

You're probably a match if

You’re a recent graduate or early in your career, excited to break into tech, sales, or startups

You have a strong interest in education, technology, or helping organizations work more creatively and efficiently

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills — you’re comfortable talking to new people and building relationships

Organized with strong time management skills and attention to detail

Goal-oriented and motivated by hitting targets, learning quickly, and growing your career

Experience with cold outreach, internships, campus leadership, or customer-facing roles is a plus

Familiarity with tools like Salesforce or outreach platforms is helpful but not required — we’ll teach you

About the Role

As a Business Development Representative at Canva focused on Higher Education, you’ll play a key role in helping universities unlock creativity across their campuses. You’ll introduce Canva to educators, students, and administrators, showing how it can simplify workflows, enhance learning experiences, and bring ideas to life.

This is a launchpad role — you’ll build foundational sales skills, gain exposure to the full customer lifecycle, and develop expertise in one of Canva’s fastest-growing segments. You’ll partner closely with Account Executives and Customer Success Managers to grow adoption across institutions and make a real impact in education.

What's in it for you?

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but you'll experience lots of moments of magic, connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva, too. We also offer a range of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard — and we do — but you’ll also experience moments of connection, growth, and fun along the way.

For recent grads especially, this role offers:

Hands-on training in sales, business development, and the SaaS industry

Clear career progression opportunities (many of our BDRs grow into Account Executive and leadership roles)

The chance to work on meaningful projects that impact students and educators

We also offer a stack of benefits to support you inside and outside of work:

Equity packages - we want our success to be yours too

Health benefits plans to support you and your wellbeing

401(k) retirement plan with company contribution

Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers

An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more

Flexible leave options that empower you to be a force for good, take time to recharge and supports you personally

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills, merit and business needs, in compliance with applicable local laws.

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!

When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process. Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.

Qualifications

Additional Information

View the original posting ↗

Similar jobs

ImagineArt logo

Sales Development Representative

ImagineArt · Media & creators
Hybrid: San Francisco Bay Area
SDR/BDREntry-level friendlyStartup
Still open · always hiring (they keep this posting up and hire in groups)
Shade logo

Business Development Representative

Shade · Media & creators
Hybrid: New York City or Los Angeles; must live near Preference for candidates in the Tri-State Area (NY/NJ/CT)
SDR/BDREntry-level friendlyStartup5 insiders to talk to
Still open · posted 6 months ago
Suite logo

Business Development Representative

Suite · Media & creators
Hybrid: Boulder; must live near Denver/Boulder area (for the hybrid arrangement)
SDR/BDREntry-level friendly$70k–$85k OTEStartup
Still open · posted 1 month ago