Staff Backend Software Engineer - User Platform (IAM)

TL;DR

Staff Backend Software Engineer (IAM): Designing and owning core components of Canva's authorization and access control systems with an accent on scalability and high availability. Focus on implementing Zanzibar-style authorization platforms and driving the adoption of IAM patterns across product teams.

Location: Hybrid in Melbourne, Australia (must be based in Melbourne)

Company

Canva is a global design platform redefining how the world experiences design.

What you will do

• Design, build, and own core authorization and access control components, including the SpiceDB-backed platform.
• Develop patterns, tooling, and integrations to help product teams adopt authorization capabilities at scale.
• Make technical trade-offs for critical, high-availability infrastructure serving hundreds of millions of users.
• Partner with Security, API Platform, and product engineering to align on requirements and drive adoption.
• Shape the platform's direction regarding identity models and authorization for agentic AI workflows.
• Mentor and uplift engineers across the team on system design and IAM best practices.

Requirements

• Must be based in Melbourne, Australia.
• Direct experience with Identity & Access Management (IAM) at scale, specifically designing RBAC/ReBAC/ABAC or Zanzibar-style systems.
• Strong backend engineering skills with experience in high-performance services (Java is a plus).
• Solid distributed systems and computer science fundamentals.
• Proven track record of driving adoption of platform capabilities across engineering teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with policy languages or authorization engines such as OPA or Cedar.
• Experience with Zanzibar-style authorization systems like SpiceDB or Google Zanzibar.
• Experience evolving large services in production without disrupting dependents.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid way of working providing flexibility to work remotely and collaborate on campus.
• Vibrant, creative hub in Collingwood, Melbourne, designed for connection and focus.
• Opportunity to build systems powering the next billion Canva users.
• Inclusive culture that celebrates diverse skills and backgrounds.