Business Systems Engineer - People

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.

Where and how you can work

Our flagship campus is in Sydney, Australia, but with many of our Canvanauts calling the Philippines home, our office in Manila is a buzzing place. Whether your role needs you in the office, at home or a bit of both, we've created an environment that truly empowers you to thrive.

What you’d be doing in this role

As Canva scales change continues to be 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 People Systems Engineer at Canva, you’ll thrive on tackling complex and diverse challenges that drive improvements across our people systems and processes. You’ll blend your knowledge of people technology and HR best practices with an understanding of IT service management to deliver stable, scalable, and secure solutions. By leveraging your passion for all things tech, you’ll constantly look for ways to optimise, innovate, and enhance our systems. If you’re ready to drive continuous improvement and put your problem-solving skills to work in a fast-paced environment, this role is for you.

What you’d be doing in this role

• Application Management: Lead and provide technical support for multiple key people systems such as our ATS, Learning, or talent management platforms. You’ll help mature our technical ownership and service model by partnering with our business admins to define service actions, documentation, coordinate upgrades, handle configurations, monitor performance, and troubleshoot issues.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for enhancements, automation, and process refinements as Canva’s needs evolve. You’ll test new features, evaluate their impact, and decide on the best path to scale solutions that bring efficiency and great user experiences.
• Service Management: Apply IT service management principles to manage incidents, requests, changes, and problems. You’ll help define and refine service catalogues, service blueprints and other processes that enhance our teams services and ways of working.
• Vendor Partnerships: Maintain strong relationships with our technology vendors, ensuring Canva’s needs are a priority in their product development and support. You’ll work proactively to spot potential issues, coordinate system upgrades, and negotiate solutions that align with our goals.
• Automation & Innovation: Streamline manual tasks by introducing scripts, integrations, or new tools. You’ll test these solutions thoroughly, share them with the team, and foster a culture that embraces continuous learning and improvement.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Translate People team objectives into technology solutions that enhance our internal employee experiences. You’ll also work with cross-functional group, like Security, Finance, and other engineering teams to deliver impactful initiatives, keeping everyone aligned and informed.
• Technical Delivery & Documentation: Own the creation and upkeep of documentation for configurations, system changes, and operational playbooks. While you’ll tackle standalone deliverables with minimal guidance, you’ll also contribute to larger-scale projects, ensuring progress is well-documented and transparent.

You're probably a match if:

• People Tech Domain Experience: You have 3+ years of hands-on experience with various HR systems (like ATS, talent management, workforce planning, or HRIS, in a dynamic setting. You’re keen to apply your understanding of how people, processes, and technology come together to drive real value.
• Technical expertise: You’ve worked on both the functional and technical sides of HR systems; configuring integrations, troubleshooting performance, and implementing new features. You can comfortably read system logs, build automations, or navigate APIs.
• Integration & Tools Familiarity: You have experience integrating HR platforms (e.g., Workday, Greenhouse, SAP SuccessFactors or similar systems) with other enterprise systems. You’re comfortable using service management tools (e.g., Jira Service Management) and have worked with iPaaS or automation platforms like Workato, Zapier, or Power Automate.
• Systems & Service Management Mindset: You’re familiar with IT Service Management (ITSM) principles and appreciate the importance of smooth, consistent service delivery. You think about longevity and reliability when designing, configuring, or supporting systems.
• Technical Problem-Solver: You don’t shy away from complexity; in fact, you enjoy delving into tricky issues. You’re skilled at root-cause analysis and comfortable proposing well-reasoned fixes that minimise disruptions.
• Curious & Innovative: You’re always looking to improve and adapt—whether that’s testing new tools, embracing automation, or experimenting with creative solutions. You relish the chance to learn something new.
• Collaborative & Adaptable: You communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, both technical and non-technical. You work well across different teams, and you’re happy to pivot quickly when priorities change.
• Outcome-Focused: You thrive in environments where you can see the real-world impact of your work. You’re motivated by delivering tangible results that deliver impact.

About the team

This role sites within our People Experience Systems team, part of our broader business platform group within Canva’s IT super group. The IT Supergroup’s vision is to maximise the potential of every Canvanaut through world-class technology and service. Our People Experience Systems team focuses on identifying, delivering, integrating, and supporting exceptional people technology solutions that our Canvanauts use to learn, grow, and deliver the most impact they can every day.

What's in it for you?

Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but you'll experience lots of moments of magic, connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva, too. We also offer a range of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.

Here's a taste of what's on offer:

• 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

Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.

Other stuff to know

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as how you can enhance Canva and our culture. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.

We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva so even if you don’t feel like your skills quite match what’s listed above - we still want to hear from you!

Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.