The role involves leading the design and evolution of scalable backend systems that support Canva’s admin experiences for various organizations, from large enterprises to growing SMBs.
You will work closely with cross-functional teams to understand multi-team admin needs, identify opportunities for system improvements, and develop scalable, reliable solutions.
Mentoring and supporting other engineers is a key responsibility, including role-modeling engineering excellence and fostering a strong culture of technical growth.
You will shape admin user experiences by exploring product ideas, testing technical possibilities, and building solutions that cater to large-scale organizations.
The position requires helping teams navigate ambiguity by identifying trade-offs, guiding technical direction, and providing clarity during evolving product scopes.
Championing operational excellence is essential, which includes resolving backend issues, improving observability, and participating in the on-call rotation.
You will guide architecture decisions for high-volume, high-data services to ensure robustness, scalability, and enterprise readiness.
Staying updated on industry trends and sharing innovative ideas to enhance building practices at Canva is also part of the role.
Requirements:
Candidates should have experience operating at Staff or Principal Engineer level, with deep backend expertise in JVM-based languages such as Java or Kotlin.
You must have designed and led backend strategies for large-scale distributed systems, optimized for availability, performance, and reliability.
A systems thinker who thrives in ambiguity is essential, using sound judgment to drive clarity and navigate trade-offs while aligning cross-functional teams on complex challenges.
The role requires being a technical leader and multiplier, mentoring engineers, raising engineering standards, and promoting scalable, maintainable practices across multiple teams.
You should work seamlessly with senior stakeholders to shape long-term technical direction and influence product strategy through strong partnerships.
Consistent demonstration of disciplined software development practices, including thoughtful architecture, testing, documentation, and clean code, is required.
Strong communication skills are necessary to translate evolving product goals into clear technical strategies and executable milestones.
Bonus qualifications include experience with Protocol Buffers and hands-on experience with AWS services such as DynamoDB, SNS, and SQS.
Benefits:
Canva offers equity packages to ensure that the success of the company is shared with its employees.
An inclusive parental leave policy is provided to support all parents and caregivers.
Employees receive an annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support their wellbeing, social connections, office setup, and more.
Flexible leave options are available, empowering employees to recharge and support their personal needs.
