Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Visual Suite - Productivity Group

Canva; New South Wales; Hybrid; AUD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading design software company in Australia is seeking a Visual Suite Engineer to enhance ML capabilities across product teams. This role involves managing AI implementations, debugging complex issues, and collaborating with various teams. Ideal candidates will possess strong skills in Python, Kubernetes, and machine learning frameworks. The position offers flexibility in working arrangements, and the opportunity to make a significant impact within the organization.

Benefits

Equity packages

Inclusive parental leave

Wellbeing allowance

Flexible leave options

Qualifications

• Proven experience in developing and debugging machine learning applications.
• Ability to work closely with product and data science teams.
• Demonstrated success in cross-team collaboration and mentoring.

Responsibilities

• Act as a solution expert across ML domains including evaluations and training.
• Work directly alongside product teams to navigate technical challenges.
• Develop blueprints and patterns that accelerate team implementations.

Skills

Python expertise

Kubernetes (K8s)

Data pipelines

Model evaluations

Inference optimisation

Debugging skills

Communication skills

Collaboration

Tools

Java

Terraform

Job description

About the Team

The Visual Suite Platform Team is an agile group of backend and machine learning engineers that own and maintain the variety of services that underpin the product verticals that make up the Visual Suite (Docs, Email, Sheets, Presentations, Websites, and Whiteboards). The team will also support other teams within Design Experience with both BE and MLE resources.

About the Role / Specialty

This role sits at the intersection of solution expertise and platform engineering, requiring deep technical expertise across ML domains combined with strong platform knowledge. You will manage your time between debugging complex AI implementations, optimising inference performance, working directly with product teams building solutions, and developing blueprints that allow others to follow proven patterns.

The nature of enablement work demands someone who operates as a force multiplier, finding satisfaction not just in solving technical problems but in enabling others to move faster. The role operates in a high‑velocity environment where priorities shift rapidly based on team needs, requiring both technical excellence and pragmatic judgment about when to invest in robust solutions versus rapid unblocking. The candidate will get exposure to a wide array of Canva’s key product offers and have a lot of room to make impact.

What you’ll do (responsibilities)

Responsibilities will evolve as Canva's needs change, but here's what the role will focus on initially :

• Act as a solution expert across ML domains including evaluations, training, inference, data pipelines, quality, and optimisation
• Work directly alongside product teams as a trusted partner, helping them navigate technical challenges and arrive at effective solutions
• Provide expert guidance on platform capabilities, helping teams understand what’s possible and how to get there efficiently
• Develop blueprints, patterns, and paved roads that allow other teams to follow proven approaches and accelerate their own implementations
• Debug and resolve complex issues, identifying root causes and sharing learnings broadly
• Balance hands‑on problem solving with strategic thinking about how to scale enablement impact across the organisation

You’re probably a match if you have any of the following :

• Demonstrated Python expertise with experience in ML frameworks
• Commercial experience working with Kubernetes (K8s)
• Experience or knowledge of building data pipelines
• Experience or knowledge of model evaluations
• Experience with inference optimisation and serving infrastructure
• Experience supporting or working closely with research, data science, or product teams
• Excellent debugging and problem‑solving skills across the full ML stack
• Ability to context switch effectively across multiple concurrent projects
• Proven communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to varied audiences
• A collaborative mindset with a focus on enabling others to succeed
• A working knowledge of Java (not tested during interviews)
• Exposure to Terraform

What people skills make a good Visual Suite Engineer?

• Cross‑team collaboration – our work does not happen in a vacuum.
• Mentoring – we have a strong culture of growth within the group.
• Strong organisational skills – being good at breaking down tasks and delivering on them.
• Excellent written communication skills – we write a lot of design docs and review a lot of PRs.

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 support you personally

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.

Where and how you can work

Our flagship campus is in Sydney, with a second campus in Melbourne and co‑working spaces in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Auckland, NZ. You have flexibility in how and where you work — whether that’s from one of our spaces, from home, or a mix of both. This role is remote‑friendly within Australia or New Zealand , so you can choose the setup that empowers you and your team to do your best work.