About the Team/Group

We're the Generative Experience group, part of Canva's Generative AI supergroup. Our mission is to empower the world to design by developing and applying AI that can iteratively create every type of design and ingredient on Canva. Within the group, the Image Design Generation team focuses specifically on the models and infrastructure behind image generation, from the underlying generation methods through to how those methods get applied and tiered for different users at scale.

About the role:

As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer on Image Design Generation, you'll build and improve the models and systems behind how Canva generates images and design ingredients. You'll work across the full lifecycle, from model development through to production serving, with a current team focus on launching and optimising tiered generation methods so different user tiers get the right generation experience. The team sits at the intersection of research and productionisation: taking checkpoints and novel techniques from core research and turning them into shipped, user-facing capability. The pace is fast and iterative, quick experiments and fast learnings over long fixed research plans, and using the latest AI tools to move faster is part of how this team works. You'll take ownership of scoped projects end-to-end, from idea through to measurable impact in production.

What you'll do:

Design, develop, and deploy models and systems that generate and edit designs, working closely with ML engineers, backend, frontend, and product to ship features that feel effortless to use
Stay close to the latest deep learning and generative AI research, and turn promising techniques into shipped production features
Contribute to the team's work tiering generation methods across different user segments
Investigate and resolve quality, latency, or reliability issues in the generation serving path
Build and maintain the infrastructure and pipelines that get generation models into production and keep them running reliably at scale
Communicate complex technical ideas clearly, including to non-technical stakeholders, and share knowledge across the team

What we're looking for:

You've got hands-on experience building and shipping ML models in production, not just training them in a notebook. You're comfortable across the stack, from model development through to the infrastructure that serves predictions at scale, and you care about the practical tradeoffs between generation quality, speed, and reliability. You can take a scoped project from idea to shipped with minimal guidance, bringing your own perspective to how a problem should be solved rather than needing a fully defined solution handed to you. You're highly autonomous, comfortable taking an idea and driving it to a proof of concept without a defined process handed to you, and energised by a fast, iterative pace, happy to pivot rather than work a long fixed plan. You work well with other engineers and want your work to show up in something real people use every day.

What You'll Learn & Build

Deep experience with production image/design generation models and the infrastructure that serves them at Canva's scale
Exposure to how ML, product, and infra decisions intersect across the wider Generative Experience group
The chance to build the ownership and technical judgement that sets you up for career growth at Canva

Don't tick all the boxes? Don't worry about that - nobody does!

We’d still love to hear from you! At Canva, we know that great engineers come from a variety of backgrounds, and we value passion, curiosity, and a willingness to learn just as much as specific experience. If you're excited about this role but don’t tick every box, we encourage you to apply, you might a great fit in ways you didn’t expect!

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

Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Image Design Generation (AU remote) at Canva