Senior Backend Engineer (Java)

TL;DR

Senior Backend Engineer (Java): Developing and maintaining critical export infrastructure for a global design platform with an accent on Chromium rendering engines and PDF generation pipelines. Focus on resolving complex rendering issues, implementing accessibility compliance, and building resilient distributed systems to support millions of weekly downloads.

Location: Sydney, Australia

Company

Canva is a global design platform that empowers millions of users to create and share visual content.

What you will do

• Partner with staff engineers to investigate and resolve complex Chromium issues, including rendering race conditions and upgrade breakages.
• Own the PDF accessibility post-processing pipeline, implementing features for PDF/UA and WCAG compliance.
• Build monitoring and testing infrastructure to catch upstream Chromium changes before they reach production.
• Design accessibility solutions resilient to frequent output structure changes.
• Contribute to broader export infrastructure challenges, including format optimization and distributed systems reliability.
• Document complex Chromium behavior and architectural decisions to build team knowledge.

Requirements

• Deep experience with Chromium or similar browser rendering engines.
• Proficiency in C++ for navigating complex third-party codebases.
• Solid experience as a Java backend engineer.
• Ability to debug layered systems spanning multiple codebases and languages.
• Knowledge of PDF specifications or experience with PDF generation and post-processing.
• Background in rendering pipelines, graphics programming, or print production systems.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on a platform used by over 50 million people weekly.
• Collaborate within a high-impact Editing Platform group.
• Opportunity to influence technical depth across various Canva teams.
• Inclusive culture that celebrates diverse skills and backgrounds.
• Support for reasonable adjustments during the interview process.