Senior Backend Engineer - Java - Product Platform (Remote across ANZ)

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. At Canva's Product Platform Supergroup, we're building the shared foundations that power consistent, fast, and reliable creative experiences at global scale. As a Senior Backend Engineer - Java, you'll design and implement scalable shared services, internal platforms, and developer tools that make building delightful design products faster and more enjoyable for Canva engineers worldwide. You'll build and evolve core backend frameworks and APIs that accelerate product development, partnering closely with product teams to co-design abstractions for safer, faster feature delivery. Your work will shape service patterns, conventions, and tooling that elevate engineering standards, while improving observability, rollout processes, and developer workflows across our ecosystem. With 6+ years of backend experience and Java proficiency, you'll thrive in our collaborative, innovative culture, mentoring others and championing simplicity, reliability, and creativity. Remote across ANZ with flexible hybrid options from our Sydney flagship campus and beyond, this role offers equity, inclusive parental leave, Vibe & Thrive allowances, and a stack of benefits that support your success in and outside work. Help millions of users create visual magic while growing in a place where change is fun, innovation thrives, and every engineer shapes the future of design.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and evolve core backend frameworks, shared services, and developer APIs that accelerate product development
• Design and deliver scalable systems that are easy to use, maintain, and extend
• Partner with product teams to co-design abstractions that make feature delivery faster and safer
• Contribute to service patterns, conventions, and tooling that raise engineering standards across Canva
• Collaborate across Platform and Product teams to improve observability, rollout processes, and developer workflows
• Mentor engineers and advocate for a culture of simplicity, reliability, and innovation
• Implement reliable backend services powering Canva's design experiences for millions of users
• Optimize developer productivity through intuitive APIs and tooling
• Drive architectural improvements that enable creative product innovation at global scale
• Champion best practices in distributed systems design and performance

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience building scalable backend systems in modern cloud environments
• Proficiency in Java or other JVM-based languages (Kotlin, Scala, etc.)
• Strong understanding of API design, modular architecture, and developer experience principles
• Experience with service frameworks, deployment pipelines, and shared libraries
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred)
• Strong grasp of data structures and algorithms, with ability to reason about complexity and scalability in distributed systems
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills; thrives in cross-functional teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building shared platforms or developer tools at scale
• Mentoring experience with engineering teams
• Knowledge of observability tools and rollout processes
• Background in design tooling or creative product platforms
• Contributions to open-source projects or internal frameworks

Required Skills

• Java (JVM languages)
• API design
• Modular architecture
• Developer experience principles
• Service frameworks
• Deployment pipelines
• Shared libraries
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS)
• Data structures & algorithms
• Distributed systems scalability
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Communication skills
• Mentoring & advocacy
• Observability & monitoring
• System reliability engineering
• Problem-solving in complex environments

Benefits

• Equity packages - sharing 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 to recharge and support personal needs
• Choice in work location - office, home, or hybrid across ANZ campuses
• Delightful collaborative culture with moments of magic and connectivity
• Virtual interview process with reasonable adjustments available
• Access to cutting-edge tools and technologies in a design-first environment

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.