Engineering Manager (BE) - Core Media (ANZ Remote)

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Auckland / New Zealand

About the Role

Join Canva's Engineering team as an Engineering Manager (BE) - Core Media (ANZ Remote), where you'll lead a high-performing squad of 4-6 backend engineers powering the foundational Media Platform. This team builds the cloud-based infrastructure managing petabytes of media assets, serving billions of uploads, searches, and exports to millions of global users. In our collaborative, design-focused culture, you'll balance strategic initiatives—like scaling for Canva's next billion users—with urgent product features, contributing to architectural decisions that make visual magic possible at scale. Partner across teams to align roadmaps, champion excellence, and translate big-picture vision into measurable milestones, all while thriving in our innovative, fast-paced environment. You'll excel if you've led backend platform teams in high-growth settings, coaching engineers through complexity while navigating ambiguity. With deep distributed systems expertise, you'll solve petabyte-scale challenges, advocate for your team's needs, and energize velocity in a hybrid ANZ-remote setup. Our Media Platform is at the heart of every Canva design, offering huge impact and growth as we redefine how the world creates. Embrace Canva's culture of connectivity, fun, and bold goals, where strategic thinking meets hands-on leadership. At Canva, we celebrate diverse skills and backgrounds, offering equity, inclusive parental leave, Vibe & Thrive allowances, flexible options, and a supportive community. Help us build the platform that empowers visual storytelling for everyone—apply to lead the future of Core Media today.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a high-performing team of 4-6 backend engineers in the Media Platform group
• Balance strategic platform initiatives with high-volume product feature requests across Canva
• Contribute to architectural decisions and solve complex distributed systems challenges
• Partner with product, design, and engineering teams to align roadmaps and accelerate delivery
• Champion engineering excellence, best practices, and improve operational health at scale
• Create clarity by translating big-picture strategy into actionable milestones and metrics
• Advocate for team needs and shape Media Platform scalability for billions of users
• Foster a collaborative, innovative culture aligned with Canva's design-focused mission
• Drive team velocity while navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities
• Mentor engineers at all levels, especially senior contributors
• Monitor and optimize media infrastructure handling petabytes of assets for global users

Required Qualifications

• Experience leading backend platform teams of 4-6 engineers, including coaching senior engineers
• Deep expertise in backend development and distributed systems at scale
• Proven track record in high-growth environments managing competing priorities
• Strong ability to translate strategic vision into actionable milestones and metrics
• Experience partnering cross-functionally to align roadmaps and accelerate delivery
• Demonstrated success in championing engineering excellence and operational health
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years in backend engineering with 2+ years in engineering management

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scaling media or asset management platforms for millions of users
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and petabyte-scale data systems
• Background in design tools or creative software ecosystems
• Hands-on contributions to architectural decisions in distributed systems
• Experience in ANZ-based tech teams or remote/hybrid leadership
• Mentorship track record in fast-paced, innovative cultures

Required Skills

• Backend engineering expertise (e.g., Go, Java, Node.js)
• Distributed systems design and scalability
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or similar)
• Media/asset management at petabyte scale
• Team leadership and coaching senior engineers
• Strategic problem-solving in ambiguous environments
• Cross-functional collaboration and communication
• Roadmap planning and execution
• Operational excellence and metrics-driven decisions
• Handling high-volume, real-time systems
• Navigating competing priorities in high-growth settings
• Technical depth with business acumen
• Fostering innovation and team velocity
• Advocacy for engineering best practices
• Experience with design tool ecosystems

Benefits

• Equity packages to share in Canva's success
• Inclusive parental leave policy supporting all parents and carers
• Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, and office setup
• Flexible leave options for recharging and personal needs
• Hybrid/ANZ remote work flexibility with access to campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland
• Collaborative culture with moments of magic, connectivity, and fun
• Professional growth opportunities in a high-impact, scaling team
• Virtual interview process with reasonable adjustments available
• Vibrant, design-centric environment redefining visual experiences

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.