Senior Software Engineer - Product & Features (Java)

About the Role

Join Canva's engineering team to build scalable backend services that empower millions of users globally to design. This role offers the exciting opportunity to shape impactful product features and contribute to a rapidly evolving platform.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of scalable, reliable backend services using modern Java frameworks.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and frontend engineers to deliver end-to-end user experiences.
• Evolve and scale Canva’s backend architecture through thoughtful service design and system decomposition.
• Champion reliability, performance, and engineering best practices across multiple service domains.
• Write robust, well-tested code and proactively identify areas for technical improvement.
• Mentor peers, guide design and code reviews, and elevate the technical bar for the team.
• Maintain and improve service health, observability, and incident resilience.

Requirements

• Extensive experience building complex backend systems in production environments.
• Strong Java fundamentals with proven ability to write production-grade code, applying concepts like multithreading, service design, and performance optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of features end-to-end, from architecture to delivery.
• Ability to balance attention to detail with pragmatism, shipping reliable and maintainable code at speed.
• Excellent collaboration skills, working effectively across disciplines and proactively involving others.
• Understanding of the bigger picture, including how systems connect to product goals, reliability, and long-term scalability.
• Experience mentoring others and providing constructive feedback.
• Hands-on experience using AI in coding/programming to drive greater impact.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP).
• Familiarity with microservices architecture and distributed systems.
• Contributions to open-source projects.