Senior Engineering Manager (Video Performance)

TL;DR

Senior Engineering Manager (Video Performance): Lead and grow engineering managers and senior engineers to drive performance strategy for Canva’s Video Group, with an accent on building scalable, reliable video experiences across web, native, and rendering systems. Focus on defining performance principles, measurement and telemetry frameworks, and influencing architecture reviews to deliver measurable improvements while expanding AI-powered capabilities.

Location: Bay Area only (San Francisco)

Salary: $251,000–$329,000

Company

Canva builds design and video creation tools used by millions of people worldwide.

What you will do

• Lead and grow a team of engineering managers and senior engineers focused on performance across Canva’s Video experiences.
• Define and drive the long-term performance strategy for the Video Group to keep products fast, reliable, and scalable as AI-powered capabilities expand.
• Partner with leaders across Video Engine, AI Research, Product, Design, and Platform to align performance investments with company priorities and user outcomes.
• Establish performance as a first-class engineering principle via shared accountability, frameworks, and operating rhythms.
• Drive large-scale performance initiatives across web, native, and rendering systems, balancing immediate user impact with long-term platform investments.
• Build performance measurement frameworks, telemetry systems, and engineering health metrics; influence technical direction through architecture reviews and executive discussions.

Requirements

• Extensive experience leading engineering teams and engineering leaders in fast-paced, product-driven environments, with a track record of building healthy, high-performing organizations.
• Deep technical expertise in performance engineering, systems optimization, or platform engineering for performance-critical products at scale.
• Strong systems thinking across frontend, backend, native platforms, rendering engines, or multimedia systems, with ability to navigate complex technical trade-offs.
• Experience developing and executing multi-year technical strategies that delivered measurable improvements in user experience, scalability, or engineering efficiency.
• Ability to influence across organizational boundaries, align stakeholders, and drive execution through ambiguity.
• Clear communication of complex technical concepts to engineers and executive leadership.

Nice to have

• Experience leading teams working on video technologies, rendering systems, gaming engines, or other real-time performance-sensitive platforms.
• Experience with cross-platform technologies such as C++, WebAssembly, graphics pipelines, or native mobile platforms.
• Familiarity with performance optimization challenges related to generative AI, model inference, and AI-powered user experiences.
• Deep understanding of mobile performance ecosystems, profiling tools, and performance monitoring platforms.
• Experience scaling engineering organizations during rapid growth and organizational change.

Culture & Benefits

• Equity packages.
• Health benefits plans.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution.
• Inclusive parental leave policy.
• Flexible leave options and an annual wellbeing allowance for “Vibe & Thrive”.

Hiring process

• Interviews are conducted virtually.
• Hiring decisions are based on skills, experience, merit, and business needs.
• Share pronouns and any reasonable adjustments needed during the interview process.