Staff Frontend Engineer – Design Systems

Canva

full-time

Posted on: 1/5/2026

Location Type: Remote

Location: Australia

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About the role

Leading strategic technical direction for our design system
Working on our trickiest and most impactful projects and design solutions that address problems at both current and future scale
Working within the design system and help evolve the system to meet the needs of our users by contributing to the continuous improvement of standards, guidelines, and reusable components
Mentoring team members and participating actively in design and code reviews, team processes and decision making
Contribute to defining, improving, and codifying best practices and methodologies for frontend engineering at Canva
Crafting and presenting engaging presentations to the frontend specialty

Deep experience working in frontend web technologies (HTML, CSS, Web APIs, React/TS) and cross-browser development
Proven track-record of delivering large, cross-functional projects across multiple teams and highly reliable technical solutions that scale
Ideally you have experience developing or leading a design system, but experience with and passion for platform stewardship / enablement is a plus
Experience with cross-platform and cross-device UI/UX development
Excellent communication and collaboration with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams
A great balance between big-picture technical thinking and nailing the details
Experience breaking down big undefined problems into smaller decisions with clearly identified tradeoffs
Passion for fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and knowledge sharing within the team and across the specialty.
Curiosity about how AI can improve developer and design workflows
Awareness of accessibility principles with a commitment to further learning
Nice to have: Experience successfully advocating for goals and driving significant technical changes through leading others and as an individual contributor
Experience in stakeholder communication or internal advocacy
Experience writing accessible code and reading detailed specifications (WCAG 2.2 AA)
Experience in native or hybrid development

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 supports you personally

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

HTMLCSSWeb APIsReactTypeScriptcross-browser developmentUI/UX developmentaccessible codedesign system developmentnative or hybrid development

mentoringcommunicationcollaborationtechnical thinkingproblem-solvingknowledge sharingadvocacycuriositycontinuous learningdecision making