Staff Technical Program Manager - Generative AI, remote across ANZ

Location: Team Engineering

Team: Country Sydney / Australia

About the Role

Join the team at Canva that's redefining how the world experiences design through cutting-edge Generative AI. As a Staff Technical Program Manager in our CORE (Canva Original Research & Exploration) group, you'll drive the operational excellence behind our most ambitious AI research programs. Founded in 2025, CORE unites global teams across Australia, Vienna, China, and San Francisco to pioneer multimodal AI for design intelligence—training custom models with the latest LLMs to power Canva's next decade of innovation. Remote across ANZ with our collaborative hybrid model, you'll partner with research leads, product managers, and engineers to bring clarity, speed, and impact to complex initiatives that transform creative workflows worldwide. In this high-impact role, you'll lead end-to-end delivery of global AI research programs, coordinating distributed teams through planning, milestones, and production handoffs. Bridge the gap between groundbreaking research and customer-facing features by evaluating outputs, managing dependencies, and facilitating technical decisions on experiments, data pipelines, and model training. Thrive in Canva's fast-paced, innovative culture by introducing governance, risk surfacing, and standardized processes that boost predictability and transparency. Your strategic mindset will balance long-term research vision with near-term product needs, while your communication skills build trust across stakeholders in our design-focused, collaborative environment. We're seeking a seasoned TPM with deep Generative AI expertise—particularly text-to-image and video—who excels at navigating ambiguity, aligning priorities, and uplifting teams. Embrace Canva's DNA of positive urgency and creative problem-solving as you mentor others, leverage AI tools for efficiency, and contribute to scalable practices in our growing research organization. With flexible ANZ locations, competitive benefits, and a culture of magic and connectivity, this is your chance to shape the future of design at one of the world's most loved creative platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive global AI research delivery across Core’s major programs, aligning distributed teams in Australia, Vienna, China, and San Francisco
• Lead planning, execution, scope clarity, timelines, milestones, and quality expectations from research to production readiness
• Coordinate cross-time-zone research programs with operational systems for collaboration, dependency management, and unblocking teams
• Bridge research and product by partnering with Product, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams to evaluate, prioritize, and handover high-impact research
• Ensure high-quality research operations through program governance, consistent reporting, risk surfacing, and standardized processes
• Support AI model development by coordinating experiments, data needs, training cycles, and technical trade-off discussions
• Build alignment and trust by facilitating communication between researchers, product teams, leadership, and stakeholders
• Mentor and uplift TPM craft by sharing best practices and improving operational frameworks across AI-driven teams
• Maintain delivery confidence by resolving conflicting priorities and establishing predictable program outcomes
• Leverage AI tools to enhance program management efficiency and team decision-making

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager or equivalent role in a technology company
• Strong technical aptitude with familiarity in ML, data pipelines, experimentation, and model development
• Experience with text-to-image and text-to-video AI technologies
• Proven track record managing large programs end-to-end across distributed teams and time zones
• Experience working with Product Managers, Engineers, and Researchers on complex, multi-team initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity and bring structure to uncertain problem spaces
• Excellent communication skills for managing up, across, and outward with clarity and accountability

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in AI research operations or generative AI program management
• Familiarity with global team coordination across multiple time zones including ANZ, Europe, and US
• Background in bridging research and product teams for successful handoffs
• Mentoring experience uplifting TPM craft in fast-scaling organizations
• Hands-on use of AI tools to enhance program management and decision-making

Required Skills

• Technical aptitude in ML, data pipelines, experimentation, and generative AI models
• Text-to-image and text-to-video technology expertise
• Global program management across distributed teams and time zones
• Strategic thinking balancing research goals with product needs
• Navigating ambiguity and structuring complex problem spaces
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Stakeholder alignment and conflict resolution
• Risk management and delivery confidence building
• Cross-functional collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Research
• Mentoring and craft upliftment
• AI tool proficiency for program efficiency
• Program governance and standardized processes
• Dependency management and unblocking teams
• Facilitation of technical trade-off discussions

Benefits

• Flexible work options across ANZ with hybrid model empowering your best work-life balance
• Join a flagship Sydney campus with additional spaces in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide
• Competitive salary and equity in a high-growth tech company redefining design
• Comprehensive health, wellness, and family support benefits
• Generous parental leave and flexible return-to-work programs
• Learning stipend for continuous professional development in AI and design tech
• Global team collaboration with Canvanauts from diverse backgrounds
• Fun, connective culture with moments of magic woven into daily work

Canva is an equal opportunity employer.