Staff Software Engineer - Native Infrastructure

About the Role

Welcome! In this key position, you will take ownership of the foundational build and release system for all native Canva apps, a crucial element in the largest client-side re-architecture effort in the company’s history. This infrastructure underpins hundreds of engineers’ daily work, including the Bazel build rules, the monorepo management, and the release pipeline.

Canva’s mobile applications are transitioning from browser-based shells to a native-level Portable Platform, and the existing build, release, and continuous integration (CI) systems for this shift currently rely on a small team managing fragmented tools. This role centralizes ownership of those foundations, setting the strategic direction for iOS and Android build systems, steering the monorepo migration, and refining the React Native build pipeline vital to the Portable Platform.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the build architecture roadmap focused on Bazel build rules, React Native bundling and code generation, balancing immediate fixes with sustainable long-term solutions.
• Develop and enhance Canva’s mobile release and deployment infrastructure, including over-the-air (OTA) updates and staged rollouts, to ensure reliable and predictable mobile shipping.
• Spearhead the stepwise migration of mobile repositories into Canva’s monorepo, maintaining continuous build, test, and release operations during the transition.
• Establish CI/CD quality gating strategies that proactively identify and resolve reliability and performance issues before impact.
• Advance the React Native build pipeline into a unified platform foundation supporting both web and mobile environments.
• Collaborate across teams such as Mobile Workflows, Cross Platform, Build Platform, and Developer Experience to unify disparate tools into a coherent ecosystem.
• Implement monitoring and health signals for builds and releases and mentor engineering colleagues to ensure enduring standards beyond individual projects.

What Success Looks Like

Success means robust build and release infrastructure that seamlessly supports other teams without disruption, and a mobile monorepo strategy that product teams can rely on effortlessly.

Candidate Profile

We encourage candidates who meet several of the following criteria, with an emphasis on growth and development:

• Extensive hands-on experience with build systems such as Bazel, Gradle, or Xcode at scale in production environments.
• Proven leadership in delivering complex multi-team projects like migrations, monorepo consolidations, or large-scale build infrastructure.
• Strong native engineering background on iOS, Android, or both, with clear insights on cross-platform tooling benefits and limitations.
• Ownership experience with CI/CD or release pipelines that support multiple dependent teams.
• Strategic mindset balancing immediate delivery pressures against a long-term architectural vision and adapting to evolving tooling landscapes.
• Reputation for setting standards through clear documentation and technical practices that guide engineering teams.

Technical Expertise

• Advanced knowledge of Bazel, including build rules, custom rule development, and building configurations for monorepos at scale.
• Designing and managing CI/CD pipelines with effective quality gates and robust scaling capabilities.
• Proficiency with React Native build processes including bundling, code generation, and native module integration in production contexts.
• Deep expertise in iOS build tooling, especially Xcode and native release configurations.
• Strong skills in Android build tooling, focusing on Gradle and native release setups.
• Experience with release management including OTA updates, staged rollouts, and deployment strategies for mobile apps.
• Hands-on experience migrating or operating large-scale monorepos.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Experience with cross-language interoperability, including native bridging or automation of code generation between JavaScript and native platforms.
• Background in profiling and optimizing performance for native or hybrid mobile applications.
• Advocacy for platform standards adoption beyond one’s immediate team.
• Exposure to mobile products with significant, mature user bases.

Team and Group Context

Join Canva’s Product Platform supergroup, dedicated to enabling the company to deliver exceptional experiences globally. Within Mobile Platform, Native Infrastructure provides the essential native foundations that support mobile development from infrastructure to deployment. This role supports all teams shipping mobile features, ensuring reliable, high-quality foundations that scale effectively.

Benefits and Perks

• Equity participation, sharing the company’s success with you.
• Inclusive parental leave policies catering to all types of parents and carers.
• An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance aimed at wellbeing, social connection, and office setup support.
• Flexible leave options promoting personal recharge and contribution to positive social impact.

Additional Information

We value AI as a tool to enhance creativity and technology and incorporate AI-related challenges into our technical assessments. Hiring decisions are based on your skills, experience, and cultural fit, irrespective of background. Interviews are conducted virtually. Please share your pronouns and any necessary accommodations for the interview process.