Scalable Web Platform Developer

Scalable Frontend Architect

• This role is focused on driving product performance improvements by exploring emerging technologies and applying them across key product experiences.
• You will lead architectural efforts around code bundling and delivery, evaluating and evolving systems to support scale, reduce bottlenecks, and enable engineering velocity.
• As a scalable frontend architect, you will develop tooling and systems that empower engineers with visibility into performance regressions before they reach production—through automated detection and validation workflows.
• You will collaborate 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.

• 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—beyond the numbers, showing how they affect experience and product outcomes.
• A drive to contribute to company-wide goals, particularly in areas with broad customer impact—such as improving the help experience for millions of users.

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.

• Equity packages - we want our success to be yours too
• Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents and carers
• An annual allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup, and more
• Flexible leave options that empower you to recharge and support you personally