Senior Systems Engineer- Workday Platform, open to remote across ANZ

Location: Team IT

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design at Canva! As a Senior Systems Engineer on the Workday Platform team within our Information Technology Supergroup, you'll play a pivotal role in powering Canva's business operations through world-class HR technology. Our Workday platform supports core people processes like HCM, absence management, and upcoming payroll expansions, ensuring scalable, secure, and integrated systems that empower every Canvanaut to do their best work. Open to remote across ANZ with a hybrid model, this role lets you collaborate from Sydney, Melbourne, or wherever inspires your creativity, all while embedding innovative engineering practices into Canva's design-forward culture. You'll design and own end-to-end Workday solutions that balance platform best practices with Canva's fast-evolving needs, partnering closely with Product Owners, Analysts, and stakeholders to deliver high-impact changes. From exploring ideas and validating edge cases to hands-on configuration and release oversight, you'll shape our platform's evolution—surfacing risks, simplifying systems, and leveraging AI to amplify your impact. Thrive in our collaborative environment where ambiguity fuels innovation, and your expertise drives meaningful outcomes for a global creative community. With 5+ years of Workday experience, proven implementation leadership, and a passion for team growth, you'll bring technical depth in HCM, Payroll, and integrations while fostering the magic of Canva's culture. Enjoy equity, inclusive leave, wellbeing allowances, and flexible work as we build reliable systems that scale creativity. Even if your skills don't match perfectly, we celebrate diverse backgrounds—apply today and help us make design accessible to all!

Key Responsibilities

• Design and deliver scalable Workday solutions aligned with platform best practices and Canva’s unique ways of working
• Own end-to-end solution design for high-impact system changes, from ideation to validation, build, and release
• Partner with Product Owners, Workday Analysts, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure technically sound, business-aligned designs
• Contribute hands-on to complex Workday configurations and maintain consistent design quality across the team
• Collaborate with the Workday Platform team to embed strong engineering and release practices
• Shape the evolution of Canva’s Workday platform by influencing design patterns and simplifying systems
• Surface technical risks, proactively resolve interdependencies, and identify scaling opportunities
• Leverage AI tools to enhance solution design, configuration efficiency, and problem-solving
• Foster a collaborative team culture, supporting peers in delivering innovative HR technology solutions
• Ensure Workday supports Canva’s global growth with secure, compliant, and integrated people processes

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on Workday experience with depth in modules like HCM, Compensation, Payroll, or Time Tracking
• Led at least two end-to-end Workday implementations, navigating complex configuration and cross-functional alignment
• Proficiency in Workday tools including business processes, condition rules, security groups, and calculated fields
• Experience designing scalable solutions balancing Workday best practices with evolving business needs
• Strong communication skills with quality documentation and stakeholder guidance
• Proven ability to thrive in ambiguity, resolving edge cases and interdependencies
• Hands-on experience using AI tools to drive greater impact in Workday configurations and implementations

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Workday integrations and release management in a high-growth environment
• Background in platform engineering for HR systems at scale
• Familiarity with Australian payroll and compliance requirements
• Previous work in design-forward or creative tech companies
• Mentoring experience supporting team growth and culture

Required Skills

• Workday HCM, Compensation, Payroll, Time Tracking expertise
• End-to-end implementation leadership
• Business processes, condition rules, security groups, calculated fields
• Scalable solution design and architecture
• Stakeholder collaboration and communication
• Ambiguity resolution and edge case handling
• Asynchronous cross-timezone work
• AI tool integration for technical impact
• Documentation and knowledge sharing
• Platform engineering and release management
• Proactive simplification and risk identification
• Team mentoring and culture building
• HR systems integration knowledge
• Compliance and security best practices

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 pursue personal passions
• Hybrid work model open to remote across ANZ with choice in office or home setup
• World-class technology and service maximising every Canvanaut's potential
• Opportunities for growth in a design-focused, innovative culture
• Virtual interview process with real-time AI challenges reflecting Canva's creative tech approach

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.