Senior Engineering Manager – User Platform (ANZ Remote)

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

Join Canva's Engineering team as a Senior Engineering Manager – User Platform (ANZ Remote), where you'll lead 4 teams and ~40 engineers within the Product Platform supergroup. Our User Platform group powers the foundational identity and access services that every Canva user interacts with daily—from seamless onboarding and login to secure, scalable user management. As Canva continues its explosive growth, you'll set the strategic direction for backend identity systems, drive technical architecture across distributed systems and APIs, and champion security, scalability, and performance. This role is perfect for a technical leader passionate about building innovative platforms that enable world-class design experiences at scale. In this senior leadership position, you'll balance hands-on technical guidance with people-focused leadership, coaching your teams to deliver high-impact outcomes while fostering Canva's collaborative, inclusive culture. You'll build strong cross-functional partnerships to align engineering with product goals, hire top talent to fuel our mission, and create safe spaces where diverse engineers can thrive. With a strong background in distributed backend systems—ideally authentication or platform infrastructure—you'll influence technical direction across boundaries and ensure our services support millions of users effortlessly. At Canva, we redefine how the world experiences design through innovation, creativity, and teamwork. You'll enjoy ANZ remote flexibility, hybrid work options across our Sydney flagship campus, Melbourne hub, and co-working spaces, plus benefits like equity packages, inclusive parental leave, Vibe & Thrive allowances, and flexible leave. We're committed to hiring based on experience, skills, and passion—tell us your pronouns and any adjustments needed. Even if you don't match every criterion, we want to hear from you. Help us empower creativity at global scale!

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the User Platform group comprising 4 teams and ~40 engineers within the Product Platform supergroup
• Set strategic direction for backend identity systems including authentication, user access, and account services
• Drive technical strategy and architecture across distributed systems and APIs
• Champion security, scalability, and performance across all user platform services
• Support teams through coaching, mentorship, and inclusive leadership practices
• Build cross-functional relationships to align engineering efforts with Canva’s product and platform goals
• Hire and scale high-performing teams in line with company growth and mission
• Foster a collaborative culture that embodies Canva's innovative, design-focused values
• Influence and contribute to the broader platform roadmap to enable fast, safe product shipping
• Promote continuous improvement in engineering practices and team wellbeing

Required Qualifications

• Strong technical background in distributed backend systems, ideally within authentication or platform infrastructure
• Experience leading high-performing engineering teams at scale, influencing outcomes across multiple squads
• Proven expertise in large-scale relational databases and API design
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical quality, delivery focus, and team wellbeing
• Track record of coaching and mentoring engineers through feedback and support
• Experience influencing technical direction across organizational boundaries and partnering with cross-functional stakeholders
• Passion for creating safe, inclusive environments where diverse teams thrive

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in identity and access management systems (authentication, authorization)
• Background in high-scale user platform services supporting millions of daily users
• Familiarity with Canva's tech stack or similar design platform technologies
• Previous leadership in product platform or infrastructure supergroups
• Hands-on experience with security, scalability, and performance optimization in distributed systems

Required Skills

• Distributed backend systems expertise
• Authentication and identity management
• Large-scale relational databases
• API design and architecture
• Team leadership at scale
• Technical strategy development
• Security and scalability optimization
• Performance engineering
• Coaching and mentorship
• Inclusive leadership
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Stakeholder influence
• Hiring and team scaling
• Distributed systems architecture
• Agile delivery practices
• Feedback-driven development
• Cultural sensitivity and diversity advocacy

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, office setup, and more
• Flexible leave options to recharge and support personal needs
• Hybrid work model with ANZ remote flexibility and choice in work locations
• Access to Canva's flagship Sydney campus, Melbourne campus, and co-working spaces across ANZ
• Opportunities for professional growth in a collaborative, innovative culture
• Virtual interview process with reasonable adjustments available

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.