Senior Backend Engineer (Java) - AI Media

Canva

Canva

Marketing & Communications, Software Engineering, Data Science
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posted on Nov 6, 2024

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.

AI Media team owns Ingredient Generation Service (IGS) which powers a number of AI products in GenAI group. A senior level engineer is needed to continue evolving the service into a mature platform in order to meet the growing needs of teams shipping AI features. This role will be responsible for implementation, and operation of the service/platform as the team expands to support features in Magic Media, Magic Design, and products outside of Gen AI supergroup.

Ingredient Generation Service contributes to Canva’s mission of “Empower the world to design” by lowering the friction of shipping Gen AI products and features. IGS implements common functionality such as moderation and quota management once, and makes it easy to integrate these into products. IGS also offers a collection of models that new products can leverage, including image, video, and sound. By integrating with IGS, product teams can focus on their value-add.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

  • Developing and deploying high-quality backend systems: Translate product requirements into efficient designs, write clean and testable code, collaborate with other engineers, and deploy to production while ensuring stability and performance.
  • Driving platform improvement: Proactively identify areas for improvement, take ownership of solutions, contribute to architecture discussions, and champion best practices.
  • Collaborating effectively with other teams: Understand the needs of teams relying on the platform, design and build APIs and integrations to support them, and provide technical guidance.
  • Ensuring platform health: Write comprehensive tests, implement monitoring and alerting, analyse performance data, and participate in on-call rotations.

You're probably a match if you have:

  • Commercial experience in a software development environment, with a focus on designing, building, and operating high-performance, scalable backend systems.
  • High proficiency in Java with solid understanding of related ecosystems and frameworks.
  • Strong computer science fundamentals, including deep knowledge of concurrency, multithreading, data structures, algorithms, solution design, distributed systems architecture, and design patterns.
  • Proven ability to lead technical initiatives, mentor junior engineers, and drive technical decision-making within a team.
  • A passion for staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends in backend development.
  • Good writing and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.


About the team

We allow users to use the latest AI technologies to generate the perfect elements for their design. Our flagship product Magic Media already has millions of monthly active users and is at the forefront of delivering Canva’s mission of “Empower the world to design”. We are building out a platform to expose new generative AI models to hundreds of millions of users, and need your help scaling it to more use cases, while making it more robust.

You’ll be right at the cutting edge of Gen AI innovation, working in a space that’s changing fast. We have a strong learning-focused culture with plenty of opportunities for deep technical dives and knowledge sharing across different areas. Plus, you’ll get to learn from other senior tech leaders within the Generative AI team, helping you grow your skills in this exciting and fast-moving field.

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.