Senior Backend Engineer - Experiments Team

About the Role

Join Canva’s Experiments team, a pivotal group responsible for the analysis and reporting functions within Pilot, Canva’s A/B testing platform used extensively across the company. As a Senior Backend Engineer, you will lead the architecture and technical design of critical backend systems aimed at empowering teams to run rigorous experimentation and make informed decisions rapidly.

Work Environment and Flexibility

This position is based in our Sydney campus located in Surry Hills, a thoughtfully designed workspace that encourages collaboration and focus. Our work model is hybrid, offering you the flexibility to work remotely while also coming together for essential in-person sessions to foster team connection and collaborative achievements.

Main Responsibilities

• Guide the technical strategy by balancing bold new system development with ongoing maintenance to optimize performance and reduce technical debt.
• Take full ownership of key backend components like the analysis engine and metrics platform, ensuring they operate reliably at scale.
• Communicate complex technical choices clearly to diverse stakeholders including data scientists, designers, and engineers, aligning everyone toward common goals.
• Offer a strong engineering perspective, identifying potential problems early to help the team adjust course proactively.
• Lead cross-disciplinary projects from inception to completion, coordinating efforts across multiple specialties to deliver cohesive outcomes.
• Mentor fellow engineers to enhance their skills and independence, raising the overall quality of the engineering team.
• Balance immediate operational demands with strategic planning to maintain steady progress while focusing on long-term objectives.

Qualifications and Desired Skills

• Robust backend engineering expertise coupled with advanced SQL skills, preferably with experience on data warehousing platforms such as Snowflake.
• Familiarity with complex large-scale data models and some experience with NoSQL database systems is advantageous.
• Excellent communication skills able to bridge technical and non-technical audiences effectively.
• Ability to think strategically while maintaining a practical approach to problem-solving, balancing simplicity and ideal solutions.
• A strong customer-centered mindset, motivated by understanding user needs beyond technical elegance.
• Curiosity and inquisitiveness to deeply explore problem causes, not just symptoms.
• While data science experience is not mandatory, a genuine interest in experimentation techniques like sample sizing and statistical significance is important.

Additional Details

The role offers the opportunity to impact critical metrics and experiment monitoring systems that process over 100,000 queries daily, requiring performance improvements and scalability enhancements.

Benefits and Company Culture

• Equity participation so you share in company successes.
• A comprehensive parental leave policy inclusive of all types of parents and carers.
• An annual wellness and workplace allowance to support your health, social activities, and home office setup.
• Flexible vacation policies to encourage rest, personal growth, and community contribution.

Inclusivity Statement

Hiring decisions focus solely on your skills, experience, and ability to contribute positively to our culture. During the application process, please share your preferred pronouns and any accommodations you might require for interviewing. Note that interviews are conducted online.