Senior C++ Engineer (Windows UI) - Affinity

black.ai; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading design software company in the UK is seeking a C++ Developer to build high-performance user interfaces. The ideal candidate should have several years of C++ experience, particularly in UI engineering, and familiarity with WPF. This role involves collaboration with design and QA to deliver top-quality applications. Benefits include equity packages, flexible leave, and supportive parental leave policies.

Benefits

Equity packages

Inclusive parental leave

Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance

Flexible leave options

Qualifications

• Several years of experience in C++ development, with focus on UI.
• Proven experience with Windows frameworks, especially WPF.
• Strong understanding of object-oriented design and design patterns.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain high-performance UIs in C++, WPF, and related frameworks.
• Contribute to architecture and design decisions across shared libraries.
• Optimise UI for responsiveness and memory efficiency.

Skills

C++ development

UI engineering

Windows frameworks (WPF)

Object-oriented design

Debugging

Collaboration

Job description

Job Description

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

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

The buzzing Canva London campus features several buildings around beautiful leafy Hoxton Square in Shoreditch. While our global headquarters is in Sydney, Australia, London is our HQ for Europe, with all kinds of teams based here, plus event spaces to gather our team and communities. You'll experience a warm welcome from our Vibe team at front of house, amazing home cooked food from our Head Chef and a variety of workspaces to hang out with your team mates or get solo work done. That said, we trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals and so you have choice in where and how you work.

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:

• Build and maintain high-performance UIs in C++, WPF, and related frameworks
• Contribute to architecture and design decisions across shared libraries and components
• Optimise UI for responsiveness, scalability, and memory efficiency
• Debug, maintain, and improve complex systems across Affinity's Windows suite
• Work closely with design and QA to deliver pixel-perfect, intuitive implementations
• Explore and integrate forward-looking frameworks (e.g., WinUI, MAUI) to future-proof Affinity apps
• Write clean, reliable, and well-documented code

You’re probably a match if

• You have several years of experience in C++ development, with a strong focus on UI engineering
• You have proven experience with Windows frameworks (WPF essential, WinUI/MAUI desirable)
• You bring a strong understanding of object-oriented design and design patterns
• You have prior experience building professional desktop applications with high usability and performance standards
• You are familiar with graphics, imaging, or creative software (a plus)
• You are detail-oriented, with strong debugging and optimisation skills
• You are a clear communicator who enjoys collaboration and mentoring

About the team

We’re on a mission to empower creatives everywhere with world-class, fast, and intuitive creative software applications. The Affinity team brings together passionate engineers, designers, and product experts to redefine how professionals and enthusiasts approach photo editing, vector design, and layout. Our work enables creators across industries to bring their ideas to life, and every innovation we ship helps them do it faster, smarter, and more beautifully. We’re a close-knit team that values performance, precision, rich UI and pushing creative boundaries.

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 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.

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.