Job Description

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

Hey, hello, hiya, 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. That means if you want to do your thing in the office (if you're near one), at home or a bit of both, it's up to you.

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.

• Oversee the execution of technical programs across diverse teams and projects, with a keen understanding of architectural ramifications and technical dependencies.

• Collaborate with senior engineers and team leads to evaluate technical risks, analyze architectural trade-offs, and ensure program decisions align with long-term scalability objectives.

• Manage ongoing issues related to program delivery, effectively communicating between technical and non-technical stakeholders regarding these issues, as well as the long-term impacts on Discovery systems due to immediate program goals.

• Navigate complex technical dependencies across teams and technologies, understanding the impact of changes on the Discovery systems.

• Ensure a consistent approach to planning, documentation, and core practices across teams to foster meaningful velocity and enhance the scalability of operations at Canva.

• Facilitate continuous improvement processes aimed at increasing the effectiveness of product development and engineering teams.

• Cultivate a culture and environment that encourages technical excellence and innovation.

• Assist engineering leads in implementing effective delivery methodologies during goal planning, including milestone shaping/scoping, prioritization, estimations, and capacity planning.

• Collaborate with Group Leadership to support the delivery of Canva’s most critical, complex, and multidisciplinary initiatives.

You're probably a match if

• You have at least 5 years of experience as a Technical Program Manager in product or platform teams at a tech company.

• You have a deep understanding of modern internet architecture, including RESTful APIs, distributed systems, observability tooling, and infrastructure scalability.

• You have experience participating in architectural trade-off discussions with senior engineering stakeholders.

• You have partnered closely with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers to lead cross-functional initiatives from idea through to delivery.

• You have operated in high-scale environments where performance, resilience, and efficiency are core to product success.

• You have a collaborative leadership style, using influence over authority to align teams around a common vision.

• You have strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, particularly in technical and executive environments.

• You have experience applying both Agile and plan-driven methodologies, choosing the best approach for each program.

• You have a passion for solving complex, ambiguous problems and turning them into scalable, actionable programs.

• You have a strategic mindset and can balance long-term goals with immediate execution needs.

• You have a continuous improvement mindset, always looking to elevate your TPM craft.

• You have a strong bias for action, equally comfortable setting direction and diving into the details.

About the Technical Program Managers

At Canva, we’re all constantly striving towards our Crazy Big Goals! Since growing to a worldwide team of 5,000 we need to work effectively together and improve our delivery ability as we scale, which is where our Technical Program Managers come in.

As a Technical Program Manager, it is your mission to work closely with senior managers and product development teams to build a sustainable culture of positive urgency in delivery. You will lead complex, multi-disciplinary programs and be equally comfortable working with leadership to set strategic goals and clarify priorities, as you are with teams to communicate program status, escalate issues and manage dependencies as you are navigating technical trade-offs with an engineer.

About the Discovery Group

Discovery’s mission is to enable every user to effortlessly find content that empowers them to design. We do this by building the end-to-end experience for users to search and discover content and AI-driven creation opportunities across all of Canva, in a scalable, performant approach across over 240 million users 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 stack 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 see AI as a powerful amplifier of creativity and technology at Canva. We’re evolving how we assess AI skills in our Technology hiring experience - you’ll tackle interactive, real-time challenges that reflect the kind of work we do. In some interviews, you may also be asked to solve a problem using an AI tool to show how you approach challenges with tech by your side. Your recruitment partner will walk you through what to expect.
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.