Principal Video Engineer - Design Experience (Bay area only)

Canva • San Francisco, CA

18h

About The Position

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. What you’d be doing in this role As Canva scales, change will remain 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. As a Principal Video Engineer , you'll be stepping into one of the most technically senior and impactful roles within Canva's engineering organisation. We're looking for a technical architect who will help shape the future of video technology across our entire platform, working at the intersection of cutting-edge cross-platform video processing engines, scalable system design, and user experience optimisation. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead the technical direction of video infrastructure serving millions of users daily, directly influencing export performance, rendering quality, and the overall creative experience. You'll play a critical role in enabling our team to push the boundaries of what's possible in browser-based video creation, working alongside some of the industry's most talented engineers to solve meaningful, complex problems. Your architectural decisions will influence every video feature we ship, making this role central to Canva's continued leadership in the visual creation space. At the moment, this role is focused on: Architecting and leading the technical direction for Canva's entire video technology stack, making critical design decisions that balance performance, scalability, and user experience across millions of daily video exports Collaborating closely with tenured Principal and Staff engineers to establish technical standards and best practices, while progressively assuming ownership of video-specific architectural decisions Designing and implementing high-performance rendering systems using modern graphics technologies, optimising video composition pipelines that handle complex designs with sub-second responsiveness Solving complex technical challenges around video export costs, rendering performance, and system reliability — making thoughtful trade-offs that maximise both technical excellence and business impact Establishing a clear technical vision and roadmap for video technology that enables innovative features such as AI-powered effects, advanced international language support, and next-generation video editing capabilities Mentoring and guiding engineers on video-related projects, sharing expertise in video systems architecture and helping the team execute ambitious technical initiatives

Requirements

• Deep expertise in video technology and digital content creation tooling, with hands-on experience building video editing, composition, or similar creative software
• Strong system architecture and technical leadership skills, with experience designing scalable systems that support millions of users
• Engagement with the broader technical community — whether through industry connections, knowledge-sharing, or open-source contributions in video/graphics technology
• Experience with cross-platform development and engine consolidation, particularly in environments that require maintaining multiple codebases

Responsibilities

• Architecting and leading the technical direction for Canva's entire video technology stack, making critical design decisions that balance performance, scalability, and user experience across millions of daily video exports
• Collaborating closely with tenured Principal and Staff engineers to establish technical standards and best practices, while progressively assuming ownership of video-specific architectural decisions
• Designing and implementing high-performance rendering systems using modern graphics technologies, optimising video composition pipelines that handle complex designs with sub-second responsiveness
• Solving complex technical challenges around video export costs, rendering performance, and system reliability — making thoughtful trade-offs that maximise both technical excellence and business impact
• Establishing a clear technical vision and roadmap for video technology that enables innovative features such as AI-powered effects, advanced international language support, and next-generation video editing capabilities
• Mentoring and guiding engineers on video-related projects, sharing expertise in video systems architecture and helping the team execute ambitious technical initiatives

Benefits

• 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 support you personally

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed