Senior Backend Engineer (Java)

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.

Right now, this role is focused on:

• Designing, developing, and optimizing high-performance backend services that power Canva’s Conversational AI experiences.
• Working closely with AI researchers and ML engineers to integrate cutting-edge machine learning models into production systems.
• Architecting scalable APIs and infrastructure to handle millions of AI-driven interactions.
• Implementing and maintaining real-time data pipelines that enhance AI-driven user experiences.
• Ensuring high availability and reliability of AI-powered services through best practices in observability, monitoring, and incident response.
• Staying at the forefront of AI and backend development trends, bringing new ideas and innovations to the team.

You’re probably a match if you:

• Have 5+ years of backend engineering experience, ideally working with large-scale distributed systems.
• Have strong proficiency in Java or Kotlin and experience with microservices architecture.
• Are experienced with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform.
• Have hands-on experience with real-time data processing and event-driven architectures (Kafka, Pub/Sub, etc.).
• Have knowledge of integrating machine learning models into production environments.
• Are passionate about AI-powered experiences and conversational interfaces.
• Have strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in fast-paced, iterative development cycles.

About the Team
The Conversational Experience group at Canva is dedicated to transforming user interaction through innovative conversational AI solutions. Our mission is to create intuitive communication channels that enrich user engagement and simplify the creative process.

By leveraging advancements in natural language processing and machine learning, we design systems that anticipate and respond to user needs in real-time, making Canva more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

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.