15h Left: Senior Engineering Manager

Job Description

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte

Thanks for stopping by. We know job hunting can be a little time consuming and you're probably keen to find out what's on offer, so we'll get straight to the point.

Where and how you can work

Our flagship campus is in Sydney. We also have a campus in Melbourne and co-working spaces in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. But you have choice in where and how you work, we trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.

What you’d be doing in this role

As Canva scales change continues to be part of our DNA. But we like to think that's all part of the fun. So this will give you the flavour of the type of things you'll be working on when you start, but this will likely evolve.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

- Leading a world-class Video Platform sub-group of ~20 engineers (including staff engineers and Engineering Managers).

- Driving the architecture and execution of Canva’s next-gen video rendering stack across native and web (WASM) platforms.

- Building robust infrastructure for high-performance video experiences across mobile, web, and backend export pipelines.

- Partnering with product and design teams to translate creative needs into platform capabilities used by millions globally.

- Setting the technical vision and building a scalable roadmap for the platform team—including hiring and coaching high-calibre video talent.

- Owning and delivering a major evolution in Canva’s video technology strategy.

You're probably a match if you have

- Extensive experience leading platform engineering teams in multimedia, embedded systems, or video rendering domains.

- Deep knowledge of video codecs, rendering pipelines, and cross-platform systems (bonus for WASM and native engine experience).

- A proven track record managing large engineering orgs (15+), including staff engineers and Engineering Managers, and building high-impact tech orgs.

- Strong stakeholder management experience and the ability to influence technical direction at scale.

- A passion for fostering engineering excellence—mentoring engineers and building systems that scale across millions of users.

About the team

Video at Canva is embarking on an exciting journey that will shape the future of video editing and social media content creation for millions of users globally. In the next few months, we will deliver a customer-centric, intuitive and powerful video editing platform that seamlessly integrates with the Canva ecosystem to unlock the full potential of the Visual Suite. This enhanced editing experience will make it far easier for social media users to bring their ideas to life, and create engaging and professional content that stands out.

The Video Platform team works at the forefront of innovation with industry-leading technology, making substantial investments in building a robust tech stack that not only meets but exceeds industry standards through improved architecture, ensuring performance, fidelity and user-centric design. We own the foundational components that power the features that delight our customers, solving complex technical problems around video composition, rendering, and orchestration that enable seamless video editing and playback experiences. Our work directly impacts Canva's mission to democratise design by making professional video creation accessible to everyone, from social media creators to enterprise users.

About the role

We're looking for a Senior Engineering Manager who thrives in the complex technical space of video platform engineering and isn't afraid to dive deep into the most challenging problems. We own the critical infrastructure that powers video experiences across Canva's entire ecosystem - from web-based rendering engines to native C++ video engines, working seamlessly across our web application, mobile apps, and backend export pipeline.

This role sits at the intersection of technical excellence and people leadership, managing a mix of ICs and Engineering Managers. We operate in a high-visibility, high-impact and high-speed environment with significant direct user impact, and a successful leader would be someone who thrives in chaotic and rapidly innovative environments. Working alongside deeply skilled and high opinionated video specialist engineers, we are looking for a leader with technical credibility and collaborative leadership to deliver world-class video platform capabilities.

What's in it for you?

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but you'll experience lots of moments of magic, connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva, too. We also offer a range of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.

Here's a taste of what's on offer:

- Equity packages - we want our success to be yours too
- Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers
- An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more
- Flexible leave options that empower you to be a force for good, take time to recharge and supports you personally

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as how you can enhance Canva and our culture. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.

We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva so even if you don’t feel like your skills quite match what’s listed above - we still want to hear from you

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.

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