Staff Software Engineer

This is a Staff Software Engineer - Web Platform (Frontend) role with Canva based in Brisbane, QLD, AU
== Canva ==

Role Seniority - senior

More about the Staff Software Engineer - Web Platform (Frontend) role at Canva

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. That means if you want to do your thing in the office (if you're near one), at home or a bit of both, it's up to you. 

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:

• Driving product performance improvements by exploring emerging technologies and applying them across key product experiences.

• Leading architectural efforts around code bundling and delivery, evaluating and evolving our systems to support scale, reduce bottlenecks, and enable engineering velocity.

• Developing tooling and systems that empower engineers with visibility into performance regressions before they reach production – through automated detection and validation workflows.

• Collaborating across multiple teams to lead technically complex, large-scale, ambiguous initiatives – bringing high-level expertise, context sharing, and strategic clarity to drive scalable solutions.

• Shaping the future of Canva's web platform, blending product impact with infrastructure evolution to support millions of users while enabling sustainable engineering growth.

You're probably a match if you have:

• Deep experience with core web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, MobX or similar) and backend stacks (Node.js, Java), with a track record of delivering high-quality solutions across the stack.

• A strong grasp of build systems and performance tooling – from bundling and minification to web vitals – and the ability to architect for scale and speed.

• A history of leading end-to-end technical initiatives, influencing not just how features are built, but what gets built and why.

• Proven ability to drive clarity in high-ambiguity spaces, tackling complex or undefined technical problems and aligning multiple teams toward a shared direction.

• Experience operating in large-scale environments – managing cross-functional collaboration, influencing technical roadmaps, and aligning with stakeholders across the org.

• A habit of initiating and scaling cross-team efforts, especially in hybrid product-platform spaces where coordination and strategic thinking are critical.

• A mindset that balances long-term architectural thinking with hands-on execution, including mentoring others through design reviews, spikes, and implementation guidance.

• Practical experience creating and advocating for performance observability systems, embedding performance goals into the developer workflow.

• The ability to translate performance metrics into real user impact – not just what the numbers say, but what they mean for experience and product outcomes.

• A drive to contribute to company-wide goals, particularly in spaces with broad customer impact – such as improving the help experience for millions of users.

About the team

At Web Platform, our mission is to drive Canva's web product toward a scalable, high-performance architecture. We partner closely with product teams to build, innovate, and optimise core web capabilities—while also supporting their adoption at scale through education and strategic support.

Right now, we're focused on:

• Boosting product performance by exploring emerging technologies—such as smarter data loading, server-side rendering, and advanced caching strategies.

• Building systems that enable confident, high-quality, and performance-aware code releases.

• Optimising our bundling and delivery pipelines to ensure they scale seamlessly with Canva's growing engineering organisation.

About the Role

As a Staff Frontend Engineer, you'll operate at the subgroup level, working across initiatives that span 3–4 platform teams, helping shape the direction of Canva's web platform. You'll have the opportunity to lead forward-looking projects, including:

• Designing and delivering JavaScript-based RPC clients to power seamless communication between our frontend and backend systems.

• Exploring the design and adoption of React Server Components, contributing to the evolution of Canva's rendering architecture.

• Shaping the future of our code bundling and delivery infrastructure, ensuring it scales with the needs of a growing product and engineering organisation.

• Identifying the benefits and limitations of existing technologies, and guiding teams toward architectural decisions that unblock scale and improve developer experience.

• Contributing high-level technical expertise and strategic direction to the development of tools that detect performance regressions before they reach production.

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 stack 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.

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually. 

Before we jump into the responsibilities of the role. No matter what you come in knowing, you'll be learning new things all the time and the Canva team will be there to support your growth.

Please consider applying even if you don't meet 100% of what's outlined

Key Responsibilities

• Driving product performance improvements
• Leading architectural efforts
• Collaborating across teams

Key Strengths

• Core web technologies
• Performance tooling
• Technical leadership
• Cross-team collaboration
• Architectural thinking
• Performance observability

Why Canva is partnering with Hatch on this role. Hatch exists to level the playing field for people as they discover a career that's right for them. So when you apply you have the chance to show more than just your resume.

A Final Note: This is a role with Canva not with Hatch.

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