Senior Product Manager - AI Research (Relocate to Australia)

Location: Team Product Management

Team: Country San Francisco / United States

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. At Canva, we're at the forefront of making AI research tangible and impactful for millions of users worldwide. As a Senior Product Manager in CORE AI Research (Canva Original Research & Exploration), you'll be the critical bridge between cutting-edge AI research and real-world product applications that empower creativity. You'll ensure our research investments directly translate into user value, guiding our world-class research team toward innovations that solve genuine design challenges while building the foundation for tomorrow's creative tools. This role requires relocation to Australia with full support provided every step of the way. You'll bring product empathy to research projects, clarifying use cases and guiding toward meaningful outputs. Translate complex research into prototypes and strategic communication that bridges technical depth with business impact. Collaborate with researchers on prioritization, design evaluation methodologies, and thoughtful model launches within Canva's ecosystem. You'll also manage communication channels across Canva and contribute to portfolio-level prioritization, ensuring alignment with our most critical user and business needs. Canva Original Research & Exploration (CORE) develops AI technology that empowers everyone to design, spanning graphic design, images, video, 3D, and other modalities. Our Product Management team creates the most accessible design tool for every person in the world, collaborating with founders on strategy, roadmapping, and lifecycle management. We're looking for someone who thrives at the intersection of deep technical understanding and user-centered thinking - excited by making cutting-edge AI accessible and impactful.

Key Responsibilities

• Bring product empathy and user understanding to AI research projects, clarifying use cases and ensuring research solves real design challenges
• Translate complex research work into tangible product opportunities through prototypes, workshops, and strategic communication
• Collaborate with researchers to prioritize capabilities within projects, making strategic trade-offs between quality, speed, functionality, and user experience
• Design evaluation methodologies and facilitate expert input to ensure research outputs meet technical excellence and product viability standards
• Support research teams in launching AI models thoughtfully, considering strengths, limitations, and optimal integration points within Canva's ecosystem
• Ensure research ideas and requests from across Canva reach CORE teams, maintaining clear communication channels
• Contribute to research project prioritization at the portfolio level, aligning investments with Canva's critical user and business needs
• Bridge cutting-edge AI research with real-world product applications that empower creativity for millions of users
• Guide world-class research team toward innovations that solve genuine design challenges while building foundation for tomorrow's creative tools
• Navigate ambiguity in research-driven product development while maintaining research rigor and product excellence

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of product management experience with at least 2 years focused on AI/ML products, with a demonstrated track record of shipping technical products that users love
• Direct experience taking research-based AI features from concept to production, understanding both the technical challenges of scaling innovations and the product complexities of user adoption
• Strong understanding of AI/ML technology - understanding architectures of language and image models, trade-offs between different approaches, and actively reading research papers
• Experience creating or managing visual content, with domain expertise in design tools, creative workflows, or visual communication
• Ability to make technical product decisions in ambiguous research environments, with track record of prioritizing features and managing technical debt
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills with ability to translate between technical teams and business stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in creative software or design tool companies
• Background in AI research collaboration or academic research environments
• Proven success launching generative AI features at scale
• Familiarity with multimodal AI models (image, video, 3D)
• Experience with design evaluation methodologies and user research in creative contexts

Required Skills

• AI/ML product management
• Generative AI research translation
• Technical depth in language and image models
• Research paper analysis and synthesis
• Design tool domain expertise
• Visual content creation and evaluation
• Creative workflow understanding
• Ambiguity navigation in research environments
• Technical product decision-making
• Feature prioritization and technical debt management
• Cross-functional collaboration (research, engineering, design)
• Stakeholder communication and translation
• Prototype development and workshops
• Evaluation methodology design
• Portfolio-level project prioritization
• User-centered product thinking
• Strategic trade-off analysis

Benefits

• Relocation support to Australia including visa assistance and settling-in support
• Flexible work options across Sydney flagship campus, Melbourne campus, or co-working spaces in Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide
• Hybrid work model balancing collaboration and flexibility
• Competitive salary and equity package in a high-growth tech company
• Comprehensive health, wellness, and family support programs
• Generous parental leave and family-friendly policies
• Learning and development stipend for professional growth
• Regular team offsites, social events, and moments of magic woven throughout Canva life

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.