Principal Video Engineer - Design Experience (Bay area only)

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.

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.

As a Principal Video Engineer, you'll be stepping into one of the most technically senior and challenging impactful roles within Canva's engineering organisation. We're looking for a technical architect who will shape the future of video technology across our entire platform, working at the intersection of cutting-edge cross-platform video processing engines, scalable system design, and user experience optimisation. This role represents a unique opportunity to lead the technical direction for video infrastructure that serves millions of users daily, directly influencing export performance, rendering quality, and the overall creative experience. You'll be the technical cornerstone that enables our team to push the boundaries of what's possible in browser-based video creation, working alongside some of the industry's most talented engineers to solve problems that have never been solved before. Your architectural decisions will ripple through every video feature we ship, making this role central to Canva's continued dominance in the visual creation space.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

• You'll architect and lead the technical direction for Canva's entire video technology stack, making critical design decisions that balance performance, scalability, and user experience across millions of daily video exports

• You'll collaborate closely with tenured and experienced Principal/Staff engineers to establish technical standards and best practices, while gradually assuming ownership of video-specific architectural decisions

• You'll design and implement high-performance rendering systems using modern graphics technologies, optimising video composition pipelines that need to handle complex designs with sub-second responsiveness

• You'll solve complex technical challenges around video export costs, rendering performance, and system reliability, using your deep understanding of video technology to make trade-offs that maximise both technical excellence and business impact

• You'll establish technical vision and roadmaps for video technology that enable innovative features like AI-powered effects, advanced international language support, and next-generation video editing capabilities

• You'll mentor and technically guide other engineers on video-related projects, sharing your expertise in video systems architecture and helping the team execute on ambitious technical initiatives

You’re probably a match if

We're seeking a technical leader who doesn't just understand video technology, but truly "gets" video – someone who intuitively grasps the nuanced balance between performance, quality, and user experience that makes video editing feel magical. You're the kind of engineer who can dive deep into audio/video processing engines while simultaneously thinking strategically about system architecture, and you have the rare combination of hands-on technical skills and architectural vision that can guide a team through complex technical transitions. We need someone who thrives in ambiguous, cutting-edge technical challenges and can make critical decisions under pressure, especially someone with significant experience building industry-leading digital content creation tools. Your motivation comes from solving problems that millions of users will directly benefit from, and you're excited by the opportunity to shape the technical foundation of one of the world's most popular creative platforms.

• Deep expertise in video technology and digital content creation tooling, with hands-on experience building video editing, composition, or similar creative software
• Strong system architecture and technical leadership skills, with experience designing scalable systems that can handle millions of users
• Industry connections and open-source contributions in video/graphics technology, demonstrating your engagement with the broader technical community
• Experience with cross-platform development and engine consolidation, particularly in environments that require maintaining multiple codebases

About the team

The Video Engineering team sits within Canva’s Design Experience Supergroup and is on a mission to democratise video creation. From cutting-edge rendering engines to scalable architectures and AI-powered features, we’re building the future of visual storytelling for millions of creators around the globe.

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 support 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.

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.