Senior Effects Engine Engineer (C++)

TL;DR

Senior Effects Engine Engineer (C++/Graphics): Architecting high-performance effect rendering pipelines and cross-platform SDKs for intuitive video editing tools with an accent on multimedia effects and rendering infrastructure. Focus on developing AI-powered effects, optimizing mobile-side asset management, and integrating advanced shaders across iOS, Android, Web, and desktop.

Location: Beijing, China

Company

Canva is a global visual communication platform empowering users to tell compelling stories through design and video.

What you will do

• Build and maintain a cross-platform multimedia effects SDK supporting iOS, Android, Web, and desktop.
• Develop tooling for special effects content creation, testing, and asset lifecycle management.
• Design mobile-side effect asset management systems for optimal storage, loading, and update handling.
• Integrate 3D, facial effects, and dynamic shaders with Canva's custom rendering engine.
• Prototype and productionise next-gen effects, including AI-powered, multimodal, and real-time effects.
• Collaborate with design, AI, and product teams to evolve the effect ecosystem.

Requirements

• Advanced proficiency in C++ for engine/SDK development; solid knowledge of Java, Objective-C/Swift, and JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Proficiency in at least one graphics API (OpenGL, Metal, Vulkan, DirectX) and shader languages (GLSL, HLSL).
• Experience in mobile app development and performance optimisation.
• Ability to design scalable graphics architectures and work closely with designers.
• Familiarity with large-scale codebase management, Git, and automated testing.
• Full proficiency in English communications.

Nice to have

• AI deployment experience on-device (e.g., CoreML, QNN).
• Experience with DCC tools such as Maya or Substance.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to push the boundaries of creative tooling in the browser using modern graphics and ML.
• Collaboration in an interdisciplinary team at the cutting edge of video editing and AI.
• Professional growth in scaling high-performance rendering and multimedia UX.
• Direct impact on shaping the future of intelligent cross-platform video creation products.