Machine Learning Engineer Lead - User Voice (Remote across Australia & NZ)

Canva; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to redefine user support experiences through innovative AI solutions. In this pivotal role, you'll lead the development of large-scale NLP systems and collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance user engagement. This dynamic position offers the opportunity to mentor fellow engineers and drive strategic AI initiatives. With a strong focus on collaboration and problem-solving, you'll be at the forefront of shaping how users interact with support tools. Join a vibrant team dedicated to making a meaningful impact while enjoying a range of benefits that promote both professional growth and personal well-being.

Benefits

Equity packages

Inclusive parental leave policy

Annual Vibe & Thrive allowance

Flexible leave options

Qualifications

• 5+ years of ML or software engineering experience in SaaS or product environments.
• Experience in shipping large-scale NLP systems into production.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the ML roadmap for Canva’s User Voice supergroup.
• Build production-ready NLP models for user-facing support tools.

Skills

Machine Learning

Natural Language Processing

Python

Collaboration

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Huggingface

Langchain

Job 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. 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.

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:

1. Defining and leading the ML roadmap for Canva’s User Voice supergroup
2. Building production-ready NLP models, with a focus on Agentic AI and LLMs, to power user-facing support tools
3. Building end-to-end ML pipelines for large-scale model training, evaluation, and deployment
4. Partnering across User Voice, Product, and Engineering to align on strategic goals
5. Collaborating across Canva’s ML Engineering community to solve common infrastructure and model challenges
6. Mentoring other engineers and uplifting Canva’s collective AI capability

You're probably a match if

1. You have 5+ years of ML or software engineering experience, ideally in SaaS or product environments
2. You’ve shipped large-scale NLP systems into production environments
3. You’re fluent in Python and familiar with tools like TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, Huggingface, Langchain
4. You understand RAG architectures and how to apply them
5. You have a strong grasp of core CS fundamentals, from system design to architecture
6. You bring deep collaboration and mentoring energy — you love solving complex problems with others
7. You’ve set strategic AI direction before and turned it into meaningful delivery
8. Experience in customer support or business process automation is a strong plus

About the team

At Canva, supporting users is both a passion and a puzzle we’re excited to solve. The User Voice supergroup ensures every user is empowered and heard—no matter where they are in the world. As our user base skyrockets, our mission is to design support systems that scale effortlessly while delighting users. Whether it's our Help Center, in-product Assistant, Chatbot, or hands-on support teams, we enable instant resolution and frictionless help for hundreds of millions.

This lead role is a chance to embed ML at the heart of those experiences. You’ll lead Canva’s ML support evolution and help shape how AI transforms how users engage with help at scale.

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.