Senior Research Engineer - Video Generative AI

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country London / United Kingdom

About the Role

Join Canva's Engineering team as a Senior Research Engineer - Video Generative AI in our vibrant London office, where you'll play a pivotal role in revolutionizing design through cutting-edge video generation technology. At the heart of Canva's mission to empower the world to design, you'll partner with Research Scientists to transform multimodal generative AI research into delightful, scalable features that make video creation accessible and fun for millions of users. Your expertise will drive innovative model architectures, optimized pipelines, and production-ready solutions that enhance user experiences and keep Canva at the forefront of creative AI. In this role, you'll port experimental code to robust production systems, scale models across massive GPU clusters, and build sustainable ML infrastructure that powers real-time video generation. You'll collaborate closely with cross-functional teams in our collaborative, design-focused culture, taking end-to-end ownership of initiatives from research to deployment. Whether optimizing for latency in distributed systems or curating datasets for superior multimodal learning, your work will directly impact how creators bring ideas to life with AI-powered video tools. Canva's innovative spirit thrives on ambiguity, kindness, and co-creation. You'll enjoy hybrid flexibility from our Shoreditch campus, equity in our success, inclusive benefits, and a workplace filled with magic and connectivity. If you have deep generative AI experience, love pragmatic engineering, and want to shape the future of design, join us to make advanced video AI tools easy for everyone.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with Research Scientists to translate multimodal generative AI theory into practical video generation applications
• Port experimental Python code to scalable, production-grade solutions with performance benchmarks and testing
• Design and implement innovative model architectures and algorithms for video and multimodal design generation
• Build sustainable ML pipelines supporting CI/CD and monitoring of generative models in production
• Optimize and scale models for efficiency, latency, and throughput across distributed systems
• Enhance and maintain high-quality datasets and annotations for multimodal learning
• Investigate production incidents through root cause analysis and implement sustainable fixes
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver technically feasible, high-impact solutions
• Drive end-to-end ownership of complex video AI initiatives aligned with Canva's design mission
• Contribute to Canva's culture of knowledge-sharing and co-creation across engineering teams

Required Qualifications

• Deep experience developing generative AI models including Diffusion Models, GANs, or Transformers with real-world applications
• Proven success managing and optimizing large-scale distributed training across 100s of GPUs
• Strong understanding of ML principles and hands-on experience with PyTorch for developing performant models
• Solid engineering practices including clean code, rigorous testing, CI/CD workflows, and production observability
• Experience building sustainable ML pipelines for continuous integration, deployment, and monitoring
• Track record of end-to-end ownership of complex ML initiatives in ambiguous environments
• Bachelor's or higher degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related field
• 3+ years of experience in research engineering or ML engineering roles

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with video generative AI or multimodal models specifically
• Familiarity with dataset curation and annotation for multimodal learning
• Background in design tools or creative AI applications
• Contributions to open-source ML projects or publications in top conferences
• Experience optimizing models for low-latency production inference
• Knowledge of Canva's design ecosystem or similar creative platforms

Required Skills

• Generative AI model development (Diffusion, GANs, Transformers)
• Large-scale distributed training optimization
• PyTorch proficiency for model development and optimization
• ML pipeline engineering (CI/CD, deployment, monitoring)
• Production-grade software engineering practices
• Multimodal AI research translation to production
• Video generation and processing expertise
• Dataset curation and annotation for ML
• Performance benchmarking and model scaling
• Root cause analysis for production incidents
• Cross-functional stakeholder collaboration
• Thriving in ambiguity with pragmatic problem-solving
• Clear technical communication and knowledge-sharing
• End-to-end ownership of complex initiatives
• Collaborative teamwork with kindness and empathy

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, and home office setup
• Flexible leave options to recharge and support personal needs
• Hybrid work model with choice in where and how you work
• Access to Canva's vibrant London campus in Shoreditch with chef-prepared meals
• Delightful moments of magic, connectivity, and fun woven into daily life at Canva
• Opportunities to shape the future of design and empower millions of creators
• Global team collaboration across Sydney HQ and European operations

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.