Staff Software Engineer - API Platform (Remote across ANZ)

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design. At Canva, our API Platform team powers the backend services that bring creative magic to billions of users worldwide. As a Staff Software Engineer - API Platform (Remote across ANZ), you'll lead the evolution of our platform capabilities, shaping roadmaps for critical building blocks that ensure reliability, velocity, and scalability. You'll collaborate with engineering, product, and design teams in our innovative, design-focused culture, turning complex challenges into elegant solutions that empower creators everywhere. In this hands-on leadership role, you'll define API architecture best practices, implement intricate system designs, and mentor engineers across teams. Propose future-proof innovations for our distributed cloud infrastructure through clear design docs and collaborative meetings. Guide major project execution while fostering trust, respect, and open communication—hallmarks of Canva's collaborative environment. With our Sydney flagship campus and flexible remote options across ANZ, you'll thrive whether in-office or from home. You'll love this role if you have 10+ years building sophisticated JVM-based distributed systems, deep expertise in reactive programming and resiliency patterns, and a passion for mentoring. Experience in AWS, gRPC, and modern protocols is a huge plus. Be part of a 4-team group tackling exciting challenges to serve 1 billion monthly active users, all while enjoying Canva's equity, inclusive leave, Vibe & Thrive allowance, and fun-filled culture. Check lifeatcanva.com for more.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the definition of technical roadmap and architecture for Canva's API platforms as we scale to billions of users
• Become the authority on API architecture and service communication, defining and evangelizing best practices through code and PR reviews
• Design and hands-on implement complex system components, tackling intricate technical challenges
• Propose innovative solutions to future-proof Canva's distributed cloud infrastructure via design documents and collaborative design meetings
• Guide implementation of major projects, breaking down tasks realistically and keeping cross-team engineers aligned
• Mentor and guide other engineers in their professional development and technical challenges
• Drive widespread organizational impact through cross-team initiatives improving reliability, velocity, and security
• Collaborate with product and design teams to ensure API platforms empower Canva's creative mission
• Champion scalable, resilient patterns that support Canva's design-first culture at global scale
• Contribute to the API Platform team's mission of providing tools and libraries for backend service scalability

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of commercial experience developing sophisticated distributed web applications on the JVM, with strong Java experience
• Experience planning and executing architectural changes with a creative, conceptual problem-solving approach
• Expertise in asynchronous or reactive programming techniques and associated patterns
• Deep knowledge of computer science fundamentals including concurrency, data structures, and distributed systems
• Experience working in large distributed cloud environments (ideally AWS)
• Strong understanding of resiliency techniques and patterns such as load balancing, throttling, back pressure, and circuit breaking
• Demonstrated experience guiding and mentoring other engineers
• Strong communication and teamwork skills, both written and verbal

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with other backend languages such as Scala, Python, or Typescript
• Experience with RPC frameworks like gRPC
• Strong working knowledge of modern networking protocols such as HTTP/2, protobuf, and WebSockets
• Proven track record of facilitating cross-team collaboration in large-scale engineering organizations
• Experience contributing to platform teams that empower product engineering velocity
• Background in design tools or creative technology platforms

Required Skills

• Java (JVM) development expertise
• Distributed systems architecture
• Reactive/asynchronous programming
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred)
• Resiliency patterns (circuit breaking, back pressure, etc.)
• API design and service communication
• gRPC or RPC frameworks
• HTTP/2, protobuf, WebSockets
• Concurrency and data structures
• Technical leadership and mentorship
• Cross-team collaboration and communication
• Design document creation and review
• Problem-solving in large-scale environments
• Code review and best practices evangelism
• Stakeholder relationship building

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, office setup, and more
• Flexible leave options empowering personal recharge and growth
• Choice in work location across Sydney campus, Melbourne, co-working spaces, or fully remote across ANZ
• Collaborative, design-focused culture with moments of magic, connectivity, and fun
• Virtual interview process with reasonable adjustments available
• Access to lifeatcanva.com resources showcasing full employee experience

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.