Research Lead

As Canva grows so does the impact and opportunity of our AI-powered features. Were looking for a Research Lead to coach a team of world-class scientists build on our foundational model roadmap and turn academic breakthroughs into delightful product experiences. If you thrive in bridging deep research with practical application and you love helping others grow while solving hard technical problemsthis could be the role for you.About the Role: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. Youll champion both scientific excellence and scalable impact bridging foundational model innovation with real-world deployment across Canvas 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:Coaching and mentoring a high-performing team of research scientists and machine learning engineers.Owning the evaluation strategy - Design and run robust evaluation frameworksquality safety red-teaming competitive benchmarkingto guarantee enterprise readiness and user delight at scale.Setting research strategy in alignment with Canvas AI and product goals.Guiding technical direction across foundational model development experimentation and evaluation.Partnering cross-functionally to ensure research translates into product impact.Representing Canva in the global AI community through publications talks or open-source contributions.Youre probably a match if you:Have led research or applied science teams with a strong track record of coaching and impact.Possess expert knowledge and experience with GANs Diffusion Models VAEs and Autoregressive Models.Possess deep hands-on expertise in training and evaluating generative models (Diffusion GANs VAEs LLMs).Excel at creating data-driven evaluation methodologies turning user analytics into clear actionable insights.Bring strategic thinking and scientific rigour to project direction and problem solving.Thrive in collaborative environments and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.Stay current with research trends and are energised by continuous learning.Additional Information : Whats in it for youAchieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but youll experience lots of moments of magic connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva too. We also offer a stack of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.Heres a taste of whats on offer:Equity packages - we want our success to be yours tooInclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carersAn annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing social connection home office setup & moreFlexible leave options that empower you to be a force for good take time to recharge and supports you personallyCheck out for more info.Other stuff to knowWe 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.Please note that interviews are predominantly conducted virtually. Remote Work : YesEmployment Type : Full-time Key Skills Administrative Skills,Facilities Management,Biotechnology,Creative Production,Design And Estimation,Architecture Experience: years Vacancy: 1