Engineering Manager (BE) - Internationalisation (Remote across ANZ)

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Auckland / New Zealand

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. Hey, g'day, kia ora! At Canva, we're building the visual communication platform that empowers everyone to design, and our Internationalisation team is at the heart of making this truly global. As Engineering Manager (BE) - Internationalisation (Remote across ANZ), you'll lead a cross-functional backend and infrastructure squad powering localisation and translation services for Canva's language assets—both human and AI-driven. Our mission: make building for non-English as effortless as English, collaborating with product teams across search, templates, and marketplace to reach every corner of the globe. You'll coach and grow a talented team of 6+ engineers, fostering a happy, high-performing culture while driving technical delivery and shaping the roadmap for scalable internationalisation systems. Expect to champion AI and automation in workflows, refine processes for sustainable impact, and partner across Canva to deliver features that create truly localised design experiences. Change is in our DNA as we scale—this role evolves with Canva's ambitious goals, blending hands-on leadership with strategic vision in our collaborative, design-focused culture. You're a match if you've led engineering teams through technical delivery, have backend/infra expertise, and get excited about AI's role in creative workflows. With strong knowledge of scalable systems and a passion for global impact, you'll thrive in our innovative environment where engineers, designers, and product folks co-create magic. Remote across ANZ with hybrid flexibility, plus equity, parental leave, Vibe & Thrive allowance, and more—check lifeatcanva.com. Help us democratise design for the world!

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a cross-functional backend and infrastructure team building localisation features for Canva's global experience
• Coach and grow a team of 6+ skilled engineers, fostering a happy, healthy, high-performing culture
• Drive technical delivery and design the product and technical roadmap for internationalisation systems
• Refine team processes to ensure effective and sustainable delivery at scale
• Champion automation and AI integration into engineering workflows and technical solutions
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams across Canva to build scalable localisation and translation services
• Work with search, templates, and marketplace teams to enable global audience reach
• Make building for non-English languages as seamless as English through innovative infrastructure
• Contribute to Canva's mission of democratising design worldwide
• Mentor engineers on best practices in backend systems and scalable architecture

Required Qualifications

• Experience managing and coaching engineering teams of 6+ engineers with constructive feedback and growth support
• Proven track record leading technical delivery and driving impactful change as both a leader and individual contributor
• Strong familiarity with backend and infrastructure engineering practices
• Deep knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and scalable software systems
• Experience designing product and technical roadmaps for complex systems
• Ability to collaborate effectively across product, engineering, and cross-functional teams
• Comfortable refining team processes for sustainable delivery

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in internationalisation, localisation, or translation systems
• Curiosity and hands-on experience with AI integration in developer workflows
• Background working on global-scale products serving diverse audiences
• Familiarity with Canva's design-first engineering culture

Required Skills

• Backend engineering expertise
• Infrastructure systems design
• Team leadership and coaching
• Technical roadmap planning
• Process optimisation for delivery
• AI and automation integration
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Data structures and algorithms
• Scalable software architecture
• Internationalisation/localisation knowledge
• Constructive feedback delivery
• High-performing team culture building
• Product-engineering partnership
• Global product scaling
• Design-first mindset
• Problem-solving under ambiguity
• Stakeholder communication

Benefits

• Equity packages to share in Canva's success
• Inclusive parental leave supporting all parents and carers
• Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, and office setup
• Flexible leave options to recharge and support personal life
• Choice in work location across ANZ campuses and remote options
• Collaborative culture with moments of magic, connection, and fun
• Access to flagship Sydney campus plus Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide spaces
• Opportunities to work on crazy big goals redefining global design experiences

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.