Senior Engineer, Video Engine (C++/On-device ML)

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Canva is seeking a Senior Engineer for the Native Video Platform to own and evolve Canva’s on-device video rendering engine, focusing on high-performance cross-platform pipelines and low latency workflows. You’ll write and maintain production-quality native code in C++ or Rust, design scalable video rendering and media pipelines, and partner with product, platform, and media teams to ship features used in creator workflows. You should have hands-on production experience with C++ or Rust, a solid grasp of graphics or media pipelines (OpenGL, Vulkan, FFmpeg), and strong systems design skills. Nice to have on-device ML exposure, cross-platform optimization, and ML model integration. Benefits include equity, parental leave, wellbeing allowances, flexible leave; interviews are virtual. We welcome diverse candidates.

Company 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. However if you live anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, you have a 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.

Job Description

What you’d be doing in this role

As Canva scales, change continues to be part of our DNA — and we like to think that’s all part of the fun. This role will give you a flavour of the kinds of problems you’ll be solving from day one, though it will continue to evolve as we grow.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

• Building and evolving core components of Canva’s native video engine — a high-performance, cross-platform rendering and media pipeline
• Designing and optimising video rendering workflows with a strong focus on performance, low latency, and reliability at scale
• Partnering closely with product, platform, and media teams to ship features that show up in real creator workflows
• Writing and maintaining production-quality native systems code (primarily C++ or Rust)
• Improving internal standards, diagnostics, and tooling to support high-quality cross-platform development
• Supporting and mentoring other engineers, contributing to a collaborative and high-trust engineering culture
• Staying curious by exploring emerging approaches in media processing, graphics, and applied ML for video

You’re probably a match if

• You have strong hands-on experience with C++ or Rust in production environments
• You bring a deep understanding of graphics, rendering, or media pipelines (e.g. OpenGL, Vulkan, FFmpeg)
• You’re confident with systems design fundamentals such as concurrency, memory management, performance tuning, and debugging
• You’ve built cross-platform software or worked on platform-specific optimisation
• You enjoy collaborating closely with engineers, product partners, and other disciplines to solve meaningful problems

Nice to have:

• Exposure to on-device ML inference for media (image, video, or audio)
• Experience integrating ML models into native or hybrid execution environments
• Familiarity with AI-powered media enhancement features in creator or consumer products

About the team

The Native Video Platform team powers Canva’s video experiences across desktop, mobile, and web. We’re building a real-time, scalable, and intelligent media stack that helps creators move fast and create beautifully — whether they’re on a phone or a high-end desktop. Our systems operate close to the system layer, and the impact of our work is felt across performance, reliability, and intelligent product experiences.

What’s in it for you?

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard — and we do — but you’ll also experience lots of moments of magic, connection, and fun woven throughout life at Canva.

Here’s a taste of what’s on offer:

• Equity packages — we want our success to be yours too
• Inclusive parental leave for all parents and carers
• A Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more
• Flexible leave options that support rest, growth, and being a force for good

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 let us know the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.

We welcome people from all backgrounds, experiences, and ways of working — so if you’re excited about this role but don’t tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you.

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.