Lead Research Scientist - Video & Audio Generative AI

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 office is in Sydney, Australia, but we've made our way from down under, to a hub in San Francisco, which is now home to our US operations. We offer flexibility in how and where you work. We trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.

As Canva continues to expand its AI capabilities, we’re seeking a Research Science Lead to drive AI video and audio generation initiatives. In this role, you’ll lead a team of research scientists focused on working with cutting-edge models that transform text and images into high-quality videos. Your leadership will bridge the gap between groundbreaking research and practical application, ensuring our AI-driven video tools are both innovative and user-centric.

You will lead and grow a team of high-performing research scientists who are advancing the future of AI at scale. Your focus will be on setting strategic research direction, coaching others to deliver impactful scientific contributions, and ensuring the translation of research into meaningful product capabilities. You’ll champion both scientific excellence and scalable impact, bridging foundational model innovation with real-world deployment across Canva’s platform.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who is passionate about cultivating talent, shaping a research vision, and partnering cross-functionally to embed cutting-edge AI into delightful user experiences.

At the moment, this role is focused on:

• Team Leadership: Coaching and mentoring a team of research scientists specializing in video or audio generation.

• Strategic Direction: Defining research agendas aligned with Canva’s product goals, particularly in AI-driven video creation.

• Technical Oversight: Guiding the development of models utilizing diffusion transformers, GANs, and autoregressive architectures for video and audio synthesis.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnering with engineering and product teams to integrate research outcomes into Canva’s platform.

• Thought Leadership: Representing Canva in the AI research community through publications, conferences, and open-source contributions.

You’re probably a match if you:

• Have led research teams in the field of AI video an/or audio generation or related areas.

• Possess deep expertise in machine learning techniques pertinent to video synthesis, such as diffusion models and GANs.

• Demonstrate a strong track record of translating research into scalable, user-facing products.

• Excel in setting strategic research directions and aligning them with business objectives.

• Are an effective communicator, capable of articulating complex concepts to diverse stakeholders.

• Stay abreast of the latest developments in AI and are passionate about applying them to enhance user experiences.

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
• Health benefits plans to support you and your wellbeing
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution
• 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 information.

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.  

At Canva, we value fairness, and we strive to provide competitive, market-informed compensation whilst ensuring internal equity within the team in each region. We make hiring decisions based on your skills, experience and our overall assessment of what we observed and learnt in the hiring process. The target base salary range for this position is $230,000 - $300,000. When calculating offers, we make salary decisions based on market data, your experience levels, and internal benchmarks of your peers in the same domain and job level.

Please note that interviews are predominantly conducted virtually.