Engineering Manager (BE/ML) - AI Help Platform

Job Description

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. This will give you the flavour of the type of things you’ll be working on when you start, but this will likely evolve.

The Help AI Platform (HAIP) team sits within Canva’s AI Help Experience (AIHX) group and powers the intelligent help experiences used across Canva. We build the AI capabilities, orchestration systems, and evaluation infrastructure behind experiences like Canva Assistant, Magic Answers, and Magic Resolve — helping millions of users solve problems instantly and get back to designing.

As the Engineering Manager, you’ll lead a team building scalable AI platform capabilities that power contextual help experiences across Canva. You’ll work at the intersection of platform engineering, AI innovation, and user experience — helping shape how AI-powered support evolves as Canva scales toward 1 billion users.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

• Coaching, mentoring, and growing a high-performing team of engineers building AI-powered help platform capabilities.
• Leading technical strategy and roadmap planning for HAIP in partnership with Product, ML/AI, Data Science, and cross-functional engineering teams.
• Building scalable backend systems, orchestration workflows, and platform infrastructure that power Canva Assistant and other AI help experiences.
• Driving experimentation, delivery, and operational excellence across AI-powered support capabilities.
• Championing engineering quality, platform reliability, governance, and evaluation standards across HAIP and AIHX.
• Collaborating closely with teams across User Voice, Generative AI, Ecosystems, and Product Platform to expand HAIP capabilities across Canva.
• Supporting the evolution of intelligent, contextual help experiences that improve user satisfaction, activation, and retention at scale.

You’re probably a match if

• You have experience leading backend, platform, or AI/ML engineering teams in high-scale environments.
• You bring strong technical depth across backend systems, distributed architectures, or platform engineering.
• You’re excited by AI and LLM-powered products and are curious about how emerging technologies can solve real user problems.
• You can balance platform thinking (scalability, reliability, governance) with product thinking (user outcomes, experience quality, and business impact).
• You’re comfortable partnering with Product Managers, ML Engineers, Data Scientists, and cross-functional stakeholders to drive strategy and execution.
• You’re an excellent communicator who can simplify complex technical concepts and build trust across teams.
• You care deeply about building inclusive, psychologically safe, and high-performing engineering cultures.
• Experience working with AI platforms, orchestration systems, evaluation tooling, or conversational AI experiences is highly regarded.

About the team

The AI Help Experience (AIHX) group designs intelligent help experiences that solve problems fast and keep users designing. Our mission is to empower every user to instantly resolve their issue as Canva scales globally.

Within AIHX, the Help AI Platform (HAIP) team builds the foundational AI capabilities and infrastructure that power contextual and AI-assisted help experiences across Canva. We partner closely with Product, ML/AI, Data Science, Design, and Engineering teams to create scalable systems that make support feel seamless, proactive, and delightful.

We’re a collaborative, fast-moving team that values experimentation, curiosity, technical excellence, and helping each other do the best work of our lives.

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 both 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 and carers
• An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more
• Flexible leave options that empower you to recharge, give back, and take care of what matters most
• Opportunities to work on cutting-edge AI experiences at truly global scale
• A highly collaborative culture where innovation, experimentation, and growth are encouraged

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.