Senior Backend Engineer (Java) – Backend Workflows - open to remote across ANZ

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.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

• Leading improvements to the Java developer experience - from IntelliJ plugins to backend testing and workflow optimizations
• Designing and implementing developer-facing tools that reduce friction and improve reliability across our build, test, and IDE environments
• Collaborating across platform and infrastructure teams to deliver solutions that integrate with Bazel, Kubernetes, and AWS
• Using telemetry and developer feedback to uncover pain points, validate decisions, and refine our tooling strategy
• Mentoring junior engineers and guide technical execution on high-impact projects
• Advocating for backend developers - ensuring their voices shape our roadmap and tools

You're probably a match if

• You have strong experience as a Java backend engineer and are passionate about improving developer workflows
• You bring a platform mindset - focused on reliability, performance, and scaling internal tools for hundreds of engineers
• You've worked with scalable build systems like Bazel and know your way around IDE workflows
• You've had exposure to infrastructure tools like AWS, Kubernetes, or Terraform and enjoy working at the boundary between dev and infra
• You're excited by metrics, telemetry, and using data to drive improvements
• You collaborate well, mentor others generously, and communicate with clarity and care

About the team

The Backend Workflows team sits within Canva's Developer Experience group. We enable backend engineers to move fast, with confidence - owning the local dev setup, build systems, testing infrastructure, and backend IDE experience. We work with teams across Canva to deliver scalable tools, eliminate workflow friction, and uplift engineering productivity at scale.

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.