Staff Frontend Engineer - Teams & Education - Content Management & Distribution

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

At Canva, we're redefining how the world experiences design, and our Teams & Education squad is at the heart of empowering millions of users to create, collaborate, and scale their visual content. As a Staff Frontend Engineer in Content Management & Distribution, you'll lead the evolution of our frontend architecture, transforming how we store and manage media, video, audio, and documents into a powerful, generalized asset store. This foundation will unlock magical features like AI-powered organization, seamless sharing, automation workflows, commenting, and third-party integrations—delivering wow moments for enterprise teams and educational users worldwide. You'll play a pivotal leadership role, defining the technical roadmap for Home, Content Management, and our AI-enhanced Digital Asset Management (DAM) system across T&E, Media Platform, and Product Platform. From architecting intricate systems to guiding major project execution, you'll tackle complex challenges with innovative solutions that future-proof Canva's platform. Expect to mentor engineers, orchestrate cross-team initiatives, and set new standards for reliability, velocity, and security—all while embedding our design-first culture into every pixel and interaction. We're seeking a passionate frontend expert grounded in CS fundamentals, with deep React/TypeScript experience and a track record of shipping high-impact products. You'll thrive in our collaborative environment, advocating for pixel-perfect UX, cross-browser performance, and storytelling through code. Backed by Canva's flexible hybrid model in Sydney, equity packages, inclusive benefits, and a culture of fun and connectivity, this is your chance to architect the future of creative collaboration at a scale that changes lives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technical roadmap and architecture for frontend powering Home, Content Management, and AI-powered DAM across Teams & Education
• Design and implement complex systems for generalized asset/file storage supporting media, video, audio, and documents
• Propose innovative, future-proof solutions that deliver business outcomes and enable features like commenting, sharing, automation, and AI
• Guide major project implementation through task breakdown, architectural diagrams, and clear communication
• Mentor and develop other engineers, fostering technical growth and problem-solving skills
• Drive cross-team initiatives improving reliability, velocity, security, and performance standards
• Champion best practices for UX, accessibility, and performance in a design-first culture
• Collaborate with product, design, and backend teams to build intuitive, magical experiences
• Optimize frontend performance to ensure seamless experiences across browsers, devices, and modalities
• Advocate for scalable patterns using Canva's design system and frontend stack

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in frontend engineering with a focus on complex, scalable applications
• Deep expertise in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, React, and TypeScript
• Strong foundation in computer science fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, concurrency, and system design
• Proven track record of shipping impactful products at scale in collaborative environments
• Experience architecting frontend systems that power content management or digital asset platforms
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and lead cross-functional technical initiatives
• Passion for performance optimization and exceptional user experiences across browsers and devices

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with design systems and component libraries at scale
• Background in media handling (video, audio, documents) or Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems
• Familiarity with AI-powered features or 3rd party integrations in creative tools
• Previous work in Teams/Enterprise or Education-focused products
• Contributions to open-source projects or technical leadership in fast-paced startups

Required Skills

• JavaScript (advanced)
• React (expert-level)
• TypeScript
• HTML5/CSS3 (including modern layouts and animations)
• System architecture and design patterns
• Performance optimization (Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals)
• Cross-browser compatibility testing
• Design system implementation
• Component library development
• UX/UI storytelling and collaboration
• Technical communication (diagrams, docs)
• Mentorship and team leadership
• Concurrency and state management
• Media handling (video/audio streaming)
• API integration and data fetching

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 empowering personal recharge and growth
• Hybrid work model with choice of office, home, or both across Sydney and other Australian locations
• Regular moments of magic, connectivity, and fun woven into Canva life
• Learning stipend and career development opportunities
• Delicious daily meals, snacks, and wellness programs at our Sydney campus

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.