Staff Software Engineer - User Platform (Java)
Core
Design, build, and own core components of Canva's centralized authorization and access control systems (SpiceDB-backed) serving hundreds of millions of users.
Role type
Staff Backend Engineer (Identity & Access Management)
Builds
Centralized authorization platform, access control systems, and tooling for agentic AI workflows.
Domain
SaaS / Identity & Access Management (IAM) / Distributed Systems
Deliverable
production ML models | product features | infrastructure
Required skills
Identity & Access Management at scale, distributed systems, system design, high-availability service architecture, stakeholder alignment, technical communication
Preferred skills
Policy languages (OPA, Cedar), Zanzibar-style authorization systems, evolving large services in production
Technologies
Java, SpiceDB
Responsibilities
Design and operate authorization systems (RBAC/ReBAC/ABAC), define patterns for product teams, partner with Security and API Platform, mentor engineers on IAM best practices
Seniority
Staff, hands-on IC with strategic influence
