Senior Product Manager - AI Research

Location: Team Product Management

Team: Country Melbourne / Australia

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. We transform breakthrough research in generative AI into features that democratize design for everyone. Your role is essential to Canva's mission - guiding our world-class research team toward innovations that solve genuine design challenges while building tomorrow's creative tools in our collaborative, design-focused culture. You'll bring product empathy to research projects, translate complex work into prototypes and opportunities, prioritize capabilities with strategic trade-offs, design evaluation methodologies, and support thoughtful AI model launches within Canva's ecosystem. You'll ensure research aligns with critical user needs, fostering clear communication across teams in our innovative environment where technical depth meets user-centered thinking. Canva Original Research & Exploration (CORE) develops AI technology for graphic design, images, video, 3D, and more, bridging innovative research with real-world challenges. Product Managers at Canva set the vision for the most accessible design tool globally, collaborating with founders, designers, engineers, and analysts to deliver exceptional experiences. Thrive at the intersection of deep technical understanding and creative product intuition in a hybrid Melbourne role that offers equity, flexibility, and a fun, connected culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Bring product empathy and user understanding to AI research projects, clarifying use cases and ensuring outputs solve real design challenges
• Translate complex research work into tangible product opportunities through prototypes, workshops, and strategic communication
• Collaborate with researchers to prioritize capabilities, making trade-offs between quality, speed, functionality, and user experience
• Design evaluation methodologies and facilitate expert input to ensure research meets technical and product viability standards
• Support research teams in launching AI models thoughtfully within Canva's ecosystem
• Ensure research ideas from across Canva reach CORE teams with clear communication channels
• Contribute to portfolio-level research project prioritization aligned with user and business needs
• Guide world-class research toward innovations that democratize design for millions
• Bridge cutting-edge AI research with real-world product applications that empower creativity
• Navigate ambiguity to drive projects from ideation through product handover

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 technical challenges of scaling innovations and product complexities of user adoption
• Strong understanding of AI/ML technology including architectures of language and image models, trade-offs between 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, prioritizing features and managing technical debt
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills to translate between technical teams and business stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in design tools or creative software product management
• Background in generative AI research or model deployment
• Proven success in bridging AI research teams with product engineering
• Familiarity with evaluation methodologies for AI model performance and user impact
• Portfolio of shipped AI features that drove user adoption and business metrics

Required Skills

• AI/ML product management
• Generative AI architectures (language and image models)
• Research paper analysis and technical opinion formation
• Visual content creation and design tool expertise
• Creative workflow understanding
• Technical decision-making in ambiguity
• Feature prioritization and technical debt management
• Prototype development and workshops
• Stakeholder communication and translation
• Cross-functional collaboration (research, engineering, design)
• User empathy and product intuition
• Evaluation methodology design
• AI model launch strategy
• Portfolio prioritization
• Strategic trade-off analysis

Benefits

• Equity packages to share in Canva's success
• Flexible hybrid work model with choice in location across Sydney, Melbourne, and other Australian hubs
• Moments of magic, connectivity, and fun woven throughout life at Canva
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits
• Generous parental leave and family support
• Learning and development stipend for growth
• Delicious daily meals and snacks at our campuses
• Global team events and collaborative culture

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.