Program Manager - AI Help Experience

About the Program Manager - AI Help Experience Role at Canva

You will be joining AI Help Experience, a key part of Canva’s User Voice organization and one of its most advanced AI product teams. This group is dedicated to designing and building the next generation of agentic, AI-powered support experiences, such as the Canva Help Assistant, to help users find instant answers and solve problems independently. The team comprises over 50 cross-functional specialists in Engineering, Product, and Design, collaborating to redefine AI-first support at scale.

This newly created Program Manager - AI Help Experience role is pivotal in owning and evolving the group-wide JIRA ecosystem, streamlining delivery across various teams, and scaling operational excellence for Engineering, Product, and Design. You will proactively identify AI-driven automation opportunities within the group. Partnering closely with the AI Help Experience Leadership team, Technical Program Managers, Operation Business Partners, and Data teams, you will bring structure to complex initiatives, connect strategy to execution, and empower teams to operate faster, smarter, and with greater impact.

Canva is seeking a Program Manager who thrives at the intersection of technology, data, and operations, bringing rhythm and clarity to fast-moving, AI-powered teams. You will play a crucial role in the User Help Experience group’s operations, enabling leaders to focus on strategic priorities while enhancing transparency, alignment, and delivery speed across AI-driven initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Scale operational excellence: Orchestrate collaboration across engineering, product, design, and operations. This includes facilitating clear communication for delivery updates, maintaining comprehensive documentation in Confluence, developing discovery templates, leading agile retrospectives, and proactively escalating issues to keep initiatives on track. Continuously implement improvements from retrospectives and enhance best practices.
• Cross-team project & delivery support: Collaborate with group leads to translate goal candidates into clear, actionable plans and manage their delivery across teams. This may involve owning smaller initiatives or milestones to develop scalable processes, documents, and presentations for diverse stakeholders.
• Data reporting, projections & strategic opportunities: Generate regular data-driven reports and forecasts using Looker/Streamlit to support leadership decisions. This includes setting up experiment tracking, analysis, and reporting for key projects, such as cost modeling for AI impact. You will identify delivery and scoping risks, recommend course-corrections, and uncover strategic opportunities to improve metrics long-term, including building scenario models for AI cost and usage forecasts.
• Generalist with can-do-attitude: Act as a "Chief Wrangler," aligning teams and ensuring visibility. Proactively identify and unblock initiatives, taking ownership of essential "invisible work" to drive progress.
• Identify and pilot AI-driven automation opportunities: Discover and implement automation solutions that reduce manual effort, enhance visibility, and allow teams to focus on high-impact strategic work.

What You'll Bring

While Canva embraces change, the core requirements for this Program Manager - AI Help Experience role include:

• 5+ years of experience in program or project management, product operations, Chief of Staff, or strategy roles, ideally within Big Tech, high-growth SaaS, or startup environments.
• Deep expertise in JIRA, Confluence, and OKR/goal frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with Agile methodologies such (e.g., sprint planning, backlog management) to optimize delivery velocity when working with product teams is a plus.
• A proven track record of coordinating cross-functional teams and initiatives, driving operational cadences, and delivering strategic projects on time and within scope.
• Experience collaborating closely with Product, Engineering, and Design teams, fostering alignment across disciplines to achieve shared outcomes.
• Strong communication skills: ability to visualize complex ideas, create compelling data visualizations, and present clear recommendations to various stakeholder audiences.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement and influence, capable of quickly building rapport across engineering, product, design, and leadership levels.
• Curiosity or practical experience leveraging AI to drive automation and operational efficiency, exploring innovative ways to streamline workflows and improve delivery.
• Advanced Excel analytics and familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker) to transform insights into actionable reports and projections that inform strategic direction. A background in consulting or investment banking is a plus.

Benefits at Canva

Canva offers a dynamic environment where achieving ambitious goals is balanced with moments of magic, connectivity, and fun. Benefits designed to support your success both professionally and personally include:

• Equity packages, aligning your success with the company’s.
• Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents and carers.
• An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance for wellbeing, social connection, and office setup.
• Flexible leave options to empower you to contribute positively, recharge, and support personal needs.

For more details on life at Canva, visit lifeatcanva.com.

Key skills/competency

• Program Management
• Operational Excellence
• JIRA & Confluence
• Agile Methodologies
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Data Analysis & Reporting
• AI Automation
• Stakeholder Management
• Strategic Planning
• Project Delivery