Engineering Manager (BE) - Ecosystem Distribution

Google Chrome Microsoft Edge Apple Safari Mozilla Firefox Engineering Manager (BE) - Ecosystem DistributionFull-timeRecruitment type: PermanentCompany DescriptionJoin the team redefining how the world experiences design.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.Job DescriptionAbout the TeamOur Distribution team sits at the intersection of AI and developer platforms — two of the fastest-moving spaces in tech. We own how our product shows up on AI platforms, with a mission to make it the default design platform for AI assistants and agents.REST APIs and MCP tools are co-located across the team, and each team owns a workflow end-to-end. We're organised around outcomes, not technology type.About the RoleYou'll lead a team responsible for driving how our product integrates with the world's leading AI platforms. Whether that's launching on new AI surfaces, running rapid experiments on emerging capabilities, or deepening integration quality with existing partners — your team moves fast and owns outcomes end-to-end.This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You'll be in the code alongside your team, not managing from the sidelines. You'll drive product direction with product managers, provide technical and architecture guidance, grow engineers, and work with external partners to ensure consistency across our public API and MCP surface areas.Some of the engineering challenges you'll face:Designing MCP tools and REST APIs that deliver a consistent, high-quality experience across rapidly evolving AI platformsBuilding and extending strategic connectors on OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, and AmazonSupporting MCP apps (the UI layer), spanning backend and frontendWorking with enterprise partners to develop new API and MCP capabilitiesStaying ahead of a protocol and AI landscape that shifts weeklyWhat you'll doLead and coach a team of 4–6 engineers building MCP and API capabilitiesOwn team delivery and drive ongoing improvementsPartner with Product to shape roadmap, balancing outcomes with pragmatic technical excellenceContribute to technical strategy across the broader engineering organisationBuild and extend strategic connectors on major AI platforms (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, Amazon)Write code — this is a hands-on role; you contribute directly to shipping goalsWork closely with external partners on integration quality and new capabilitiesWhat we're looking forExperience leading engineering teams (4+ engineers) in a product-focused environment, with a track record of growing peopleStrong hands-on technical ability — you read, write, and review production code regularly; our stack is Java (backend microservices) and TypeScript/React (frontend)Genuine curiosity about AI, developer platforms, and the evolving AI tooling landscape — you follow what's happening with LLMs, MCP, and AI agents because you find it interestingComfort in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where priorities shift and you make good calls with incomplete informationStrong product sense: you understand why you're building something, not just howUnderstanding of the product lifecycle, technical debt, and quality at speed — you know when to push back and when to shipClear written and verbal communication, working across teams, external partners, and leadershipNice to haveExperience building or maintaining public APIs or developer platformsFamiliarity with MCP (Model Context Protocol), AI agents, or LLM tool-use patternsExperience working with external enterprise partners on technical integrationsAWS experienceAdditional InformationWhat'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...