Head of Personalization for Content & Discovery

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.

About the role

As Canva scales, change continues to be part of our DNA. This is a rare opportunity to build the intelligence layer of a product used by over 260+ million people, working closely with senior leadership including founders, and the mandate to define what algorithmic excellence looks like for the next chapter of our growth.

You will define and drive the algorithmic strategy across two of Canva's most critical surfaces: how content is created and understood, and how it is discovered and personalized for every user.

• Own the end-to-end algorithmic roadmap for content intelligence and discovery, tied to Canva's product and business goals.
• Work with business and engineering leaders to find and prioritize the highest-impact places to apply ML and AI across content and discovery.
• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary team spanning ML research, engineering, data science, and product management.
• Drive next-generation algorithms — including LLM-powered experiences, intent inference, and real-time personalization — that change how people find and create with Canva.
• Turn complex algorithmic ideas into something any stakeholder can understand and get behind.

Requirements

We are looking for a leader who combines deep ML expertise with strong product intuition and the ability to inspire and scale high-performing teams.

• Significant experience in a senior ML, data science, or algorithms leadership role, with a track record of shipping high-impact ML-powered features at scale.
• Deep technical fluency across recommendation systems, content understanding, search and retrieval, and/or personalization algorithms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and grow multidisciplinary teams spanning ML, engineering, data science, and product management.
• Strong product sense — able to move between model architecture discussions and user experience strategy without losing altitude.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to influence executive stakeholders and distill complex algorithmic tradeoffs into clear strategic decisions.
• A postgraduate degree (MS or PhD) in an applied quantitative field such as Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, Operations Research or a related discipline.
• Ideally, experience leading algorithmic product areas at scale in consumer or creator-facing products, knowing what it takes to build systems that feel magical to users while being rigorous under the hood.

About the team

You’ll join Canva’s Algo team, working directly with the Chief Algorithms Officer and a cross-functional group of ML researchers, engineers, data scientists, and product managers. Together, you’ll own the intelligence layer behind how 260+ million people discover and create with Canva every day. This team’s work will be instrumental in building a personalization moat that strengthens Canva’s competitive edge and elevates Canva’s user experience to unprecedented heights.

Where and how you can work

Our flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, but we've expanded to a hub in San Francisco, which is now home to our US operations. We offer flexibility in how and where you work, trusting our team to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.

Benefits

• 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 support you personally.

Pay

The target salary range for this position is $300,000 to $462,000 USD (base). We make salary decisions based on market data and candidates' skills and experience.