Ubuntu Engineering Lead

About Canonical

Canonical is a leading provider of open‑source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT initiatives. We have 1,200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and a remote‑first culture.

We have remote roles open in every time zone.

We are hiring engineering leaders to build high‑performing teams across the breadth of our Ubuntu Engineering organization. Managers stay technical and close to the code, while Senior+ engineers lead projects and people.

• Lead and elevate the Linux developer and user experience
• Design, build, and ship high‑quality, performant software in Rust, Go, and Python
• Demonstrate sound engineering principles through architecture, development, and code reviews
• Take responsibility for planning, estimation, and execution
• Work with product management to define the vision and strategy for Ubuntu
• Set expectations with other engineering teams, senior management, and external stakeholders
• Offer coaching, mentoring, technical feedback, and hands‑on career development
• Contribute to upstream and neighboring open‑source projects
• Optimize the distribution for performance, reliability, and security
• Debug complex system‑level issues and deliver robust solutions
• Author and improve technical and community documentation

• Exceptional academic track record from high school and university
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM (or a compelling alternative narrative)
• Ability to drive and deliver technical work streams beyond expectations
• Lead and coach others to deliver exceptional engineering work
• Passion for open‑source software
• Significant experience with Rust, Go, Python, Flutter, or C/C++
• Professional written and spoken English
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Result‑oriented with a personal drive to meet commitments
• Ability to travel twice a year for company events up to two weeks each

• Contributing to or leading open‑source projects
• Experience with Linux distributions/distribution engineering
• Experience with software packaging and distribution mechanisms
• Performance or Security Engineering experience

• Distributed work environment with twice‑yearly in‑person team sprints
• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
• Annual compensation review
• Recognition rewards
• Annual holiday leave
• Maternity and paternity leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long‑haul company events

Canonical is an equal‑opportunity employer. We foster a workplace free from discrimination and value diversity of experience, perspectives, and background.