Senior Software Engineer - Frontend (Open to remote across ANZ)

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Christchurch / New Zealand

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. At Canva, our Engineering team in Christchurch, New Zealand (open to remote across ANZ) is seeking a Senior Software Engineer - Frontend to craft delightful, performant user interfaces that power products used by millions. Frontend roles vary across teams—you might build rich interactions in the Canva Editor, shape end-to-end journeys in Docs, Presentations, or Websites, contribute to AI-powered Magic Studio features, or launch rapid product experiments. In our hybrid, full-time role, you'll lead with modern frameworks like React and TypeScript, championing accessibility and best practices while evolving our shared design systems in a collaborative, design-first culture. Day-to-day, you'll take ownership of features from architecture to delivery, collaborating closely with PMs, designers, and engineers to ship impactful work at speed. Expect to mentor peers, guide reviews, write robust code, and proactively scale our frontend architecture for global reach. As Canva grows, change is constant—but it's the fun part, offering diverse challenges across our vibrant engineering community grounded in ownership, purpose, and excellence. You're a fit if you have deep React/TypeScript expertise, strong JS fundamentals, and thrive driving the 'how' in complex UIs. A thoughtful collaborator who balances detail with pragmatism, you connect technical work to user delight and product goals while lifting your team's bar. Join us to solve ambitious problems, iterate rapidly, and build a product that empowers everyone to design—backed by equity, flexible leave, wellbeing allowances, and our uniquely magical culture. Interviews are virtual with real-time, AI-augmented challenges reflecting our innovative work.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of performant, delightful user interfaces using React and TypeScript
• Drive collaboration with PMs, designers, and engineers to scope and deliver impactful product features
• Evolve and scale Canva’s frontend architecture through reusable component libraries and design systems
• Champion accessibility, performance, and best practices across Canva product surfaces
• Write robust, well-tested code and proactively identify technical improvements
• Guide design and code reviews while mentoring peers to raise the team’s technical bar
• Craft rich, interactive experiences in Canva Editor or surfaces like Docs, Presentations, and Websites
• Contribute to cutting-edge Magic Studio AI features or fast-paced product experiments
• Balance short-term delivery with long-term scalability and user experience goals
• Proactively communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs to stakeholders
• Stay ahead of frontend trends to innovate within Canva’s design-first culture

Required Qualifications

• Highly experienced in building complex, user-facing applications using modern frontend technologies (React and TypeScript)
• Strong JavaScript fundamentals and deep understanding of the web platform
• Proven experience taking ownership of features end-to-end—from architecture to delivery
• Track record of shipping quality code at speed while balancing detail and pragmatism
• Experience mentoring peers, conducting code/design reviews, and raising technical standards
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines (PMs, designers, engineers)
• Understanding of accessibility, performance optimization, and engineering best practices
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with design systems, reusable component libraries, or shared UI frameworks
• Familiarity with AI-powered features or Magic Studio-like experiences
• Contributions to Canva Editor, Docs, Presentations, Websites, or similar rich UIs
• Background in fast-paced product experimentation and rapid iteration
• Experience scaling frontend architecture for millions of users
• Knowledge of TypeScript advanced patterns and React performance optimization

Required Skills

• React
• TypeScript
• JavaScript (advanced)
• Web platform fundamentals
• Component architecture
• Design systems
• Accessibility (a11y)
• Performance optimization
• Unit/integration testing
• Code review and mentoring
• Cross-functional collaboration
• End-to-end feature ownership
• Pragmatic problem-solving
• User experience focus
• Technical leadership
• Agile/iterative development
• AI/ML integration (frontend)
• Scalable frontend systems

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 office setup
• Flexible leave options to recharge and support personal needs
• Hybrid work model with choice in location across ANZ (open to remote)
• Vibrant engineering community with mentorship and collaboration
• Access to flagship campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, and co-working spaces
• Delightful moments of magic, connectivity, and fun woven into work life
• Opportunities to work on products empowering millions to design

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.