Engineering Director - Core It

Canva; Victoria; On-site; AUD 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity packages

Parental leave

Wellbeing allowance

Flexible leave

Job summary

Canva Core IT is seeking an accomplished technology leader to set and deliver the IT strategy for a fast‑growing company. You will translate business priorities into a technology roadmap, and lead high‑performing teams across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.

You’ll build a world‑class workforce technology experience, measure service quality with data, engage exec stakeholders, and own the highest‑priority initiatives.

Qualifications

• Led internal technology functions at meaningful scale with a track record of building IT capability.
• Able to engage with executive stakeholders and engineering teams with equal ease.
• Curious about how technology can improve the way people work in a fast-growing company.
• Can set a vision, build the team to deliver it, and maintain quality without slowing delivery.
• Thinks commercially, linking technology decisions to financial and business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Set and deliver Canva's IT strategy, translating business priorities into a technology roadmap with clear goals for teams.
• Lead and develop high-performing teams, establishing direction, building capability, and fostering ownership.
• Build a world-class workforce technology experience—from onboarding to device management, to AI and automation tools.
• Create a culture of measurement, using data to track service quality, surface risks, and report progress to execs.
• Represent IT in org-wide forums, advocating for investment and strategic alignment to scale.
• Own highest-priority initiatives and ensure on-track delivery.

Skills

IT leadership

Stakeholder management

Team building

Strategic planning

Commercial mindset

Job description

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. 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:

• Set and deliver Canva's IT strategy, translating business priorities into a coherent technology roadmap with goals your teams can rally behind.

• Lead and develop high-performing teams, setting clear direction, building capability, and fostering a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

• Build a world-class workforce technology experience — from onboarding, to device management, to tools and access, to AI, automation, and how Canvanauts connect and work across our global campuses.

• Build a culture of measurement, using data to track service quality, drive prioritisation, surface risks early, and communicate progress clearly to exec stakeholders.

• Represent IT in org-level and company-wide forums, advocating for the investment and strategic alignment the function needs to scale.

• Take ownership of the highest-priority in-flight initiatives and ensure they're on track for delivery

You're probably a match if:

• You’ve led internal technology functions at meaningful scale — you know what great IT leadership looks like, and you’ve built it before.

• You’re equally comfortable with exec stakeholders as you are in a deep-dive with an engineering team, with a track record of building high-trust relationships across both.

• You bring genuine curiosity about how technology can improve the way people work, and you’re energised by the operational complexity of a fast-growing company.

• You know how to set a vision, build the team to deliver it, and hold the line on quality without slowing things down.

• You think commercially, understanding how technology decisions connect to financial and business outcomes.

• You lead through others — investing in your people and creating the conditions for teams to do their best work.

About the team

Canva Core IT has 80+ people across Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Europe and the United States, responsible for the technology that powers everyday life at Canva — from campus AV, network infrastructure and physical security, to onboarding, device and access management, and the AI and automation tools that eliminate friction across our collaboration stack. We’re not just keeping the lights on — we’re building the future IT foundations Canva needs to reach its next chapter.

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 *************** 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.

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.