Senior Software Engineer - (Java) - Canva AI - (Open to remote across ANZ)

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

Join Canva's AI Group, where we're redefining visual communication through intuitive, conversational AI experiences that empower 150M+ global users to create stunning designs, documents, and content effortlessly. As a Senior Software Engineer (Java) in our Engineering team, you'll architect the scalable backend platform powering Canva AI - from core product experiences to the conductor orchestrating seamless integrations for internal teams and partners. Based in Sydney with full flexibility for remote work across ANZ, you'll thrive in our collaborative, design-focused culture that celebrates bold ideas and meaningful impact. You'll be hands-on writing critical Java code, leading complex projects end-to-end, and shaping our platform strategy to support explosive growth. Expect to mentor engineers, drive best practices, and collaborate cross-functionally with PMs, designers, and AI specialists - all while staying at the forefront of rapidly evolving AI technologies like LLMs and fine-tuning. Your work directly advances Canva's mission to become the world's leading visual communication platform, blending technical excellence with creative innovation. At Canva, we foster a product-minded engineering culture where ownership, calculated risks, and user empathy drive success. Gain unparalleled experience building AI products at massive scale, expand your expertise across diverse technologies, and shape our strategic vision. If you're a forward-thinking backend leader passionate about AI and design, join our high-impact team making creativity accessible to everyone.

Key Responsibilities

• Hands-on implementation of critical path Java backend code for Canva AI platform
• Drive complex projects from inception through production deployment at scale
• Architect scalable backend systems supporting 150M+ global Canva users
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to enable seamless AI integrations
• Mentor backend engineers, establishing best practices and reducing technical debt
• Lead strategic platform decisions by understanding stakeholder pain points
• Proactively identify issues and minimize friction in AI platform development
• Work cross-functionally with PMs and designers to evolve product vision
• Stay ahead of AI industry trends, adopting impactful innovations
• Ensure high system reliability, performance, and developer experience
• Contribute to Canva AI's conductor platform powering conversational experiences

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience with strong proficiency in Java backend development
• Proven track record of building scalable, high-performance backend platforms handling millions of users
• Deep experience with designing and implementing APIs, microservices, and integration platforms
• Hands-on experience with AI/ML systems, large language models, or related technologies
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects from inception to production
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, system reliability, and performance optimization
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and driving engineering best practices
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with AI platforms, fine-tuning LLMs, or evaluation methodologies
• Familiarity with Canva's tech stack or similar design/visual communication platforms
• Previous work in platform engineering enabling third-party integrations
• Contributions to open-source projects or AI-related technologies
• Experience in product-minded engineering with cross-functional stakeholder collaboration

Required Skills

• Expert-level Java development and backend architecture
• API design and microservices implementation
• Distributed systems and scalability patterns
• System performance optimization and reliability engineering
• AI/ML integration and large language model interactions
• Platform engineering and developer experience focus
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills
• Cross-functional collaboration and communication
• Mentoring and technical leadership
• Product-minded engineering approach
• Bias for action and calculated risk-taking
• Ownership of ambiguous projects end-to-end
• Rapid learning of emerging AI technologies
• Kubernetes, Docker, or cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP)
• SQL/NoSQL databases and data modeling
• CI/CD pipelines and production deployment
• Design thinking and user-centric development

Benefits

• Flexible work options - hybrid or fully remote across ANZ with Sydney HQ
• Generous parental leave and family-friendly policies
• Canva for Teams product allowance and learning budget
• Inclusive health insurance and wellness programs
• Stock options and performance bonuses
• Endless supply of snacks, drinks, and team social events
• 4 additional Canva Days off annually plus birthday leave
• Global career growth opportunities across Canva's offices
• Collaborative, design-first culture with impact at scale

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.