Senior C++ Engineer (Windows UI) - Affinity

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country London / United Kingdom

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design at Canva's Affinity suite. We're seeking a Senior C++ Engineer (Windows UI) to join our passionate Engineering team in London, UK, working in a hybrid model from our vibrant Shoreditch campus. Affinity empowers millions of creatives with world-class photo editing, vector design, and layout tools. As a key member of our close-knit team, you'll craft high-performance, intuitive UIs that professionals rely on daily, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in creative software while collaborating with designers, product experts, and fellow engineers in Canva's innovative, design-focused culture. In this role, you'll build and optimise responsive UIs using C++ and WPF, contribute to shared library architecture, and explore cutting-edge frameworks like WinUI and MAUI to future-proof our apps. You'll debug complex systems across Affinity's Windows suite, ensure pixel-perfect implementations through close design collaboration, and mentor teammates to elevate our code quality. Your work will directly impact creators worldwide, delivering fast, beautiful tools that make professional design accessible and delightful. Canva's collaborative environment celebrates diverse skills and backgrounds, with a mission to empower everyone to design. You'll thrive if you bring deep C++ UI expertise, Windows framework mastery, and a passion for performance in creative applications. Enjoy equity packages, flexible leave, wellness allowances, and the magic of Canva life – from home-cooked meals to global innovation events. Even if you don't match every requirement, we want to hear from you. Interviews are virtual; share your pronouns and any adjustments needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain high-performance, responsive UIs using C++, WPF, and related Windows frameworks
• Contribute to architecture and design decisions for shared UI libraries and reusable components
• Optimise UI performance for scalability, responsiveness, and memory efficiency in demanding creative applications
• Debug, maintain, and enhance complex systems across Affinity's Windows desktop suite
• Collaborate closely with designers to implement pixel-perfect, intuitive user experiences
• Work with QA teams to ensure robust, high-quality releases that meet professional creative standards
• Explore and integrate emerging frameworks (WinUI, MAUI) to future-proof Affinity applications
• Write clean, well-documented, maintainable code following Canva's engineering best practices
• Mentor junior engineers and participate in code reviews to elevate team code quality
• Prototype innovative UI features that push creative boundaries for professional designers
• Profile and optimise graphics-intensive UI components for smooth performance

Required Qualifications

• Several years of professional experience in C++ development with a strong emphasis on UI engineering
• Proven hands-on experience with Windows UI frameworks, particularly WPF (essential)
• Strong understanding of object-oriented design principles and design patterns
• Experience building high-performance professional desktop applications with excellent usability standards
• Demonstrated debugging, optimisation, and performance tuning skills for complex UI systems
• Experience collaborating with design and QA teams to deliver pixel-perfect implementations
• Ability to write clean, reliable, well-documented code in large-scale codebases
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with modern Windows frameworks like WinUI or MAUI
• Background in graphics programming, imaging processing, or creative software development
• Familiarity with Affinity product suite or similar professional creative tools
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and leading code reviews
• Contributions to open-source UI/graphics projects
• Knowledge of cross-platform UI development challenges

Required Skills

• Expert C++ programming for desktop UI applications
• Advanced WPF framework development
• Windows UI architecture and component design
• Performance optimisation and profiling
• Object-oriented design patterns
• UI debugging and memory management
• Pixel-perfect UI implementation
• Cross-team collaboration with designers and QA
• Code documentation and maintainability
• Modern Windows frameworks (WinUI/MAUI)
• Graphics and imaging concepts
• Mentoring and code review skills
• Problem-solving in complex systems
• Clear technical communication
• Agile development practices
• Version control (Git) proficiency

Benefits

• Equity packages to share in Canva's growth and success
• Inclusive parental leave policy supporting all parents and carers
• Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, and workspace setup
• Flexible leave options to recharge and support personal needs
• Hybrid work model with access to Canva's vibrant London campus in Shoreditch
• Delicious home-cooked meals from our Head Chef and collaborative workspaces
• Global team events, learning opportunities, and career growth support
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits tailored for European team members
• Regular innovation days and hackathons to explore creative engineering ideas

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.