Lead Data Governance Engineer

Canonical is a leading provider of open-source software and operating systems for global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors.

We are hiring a Lead Data Governance Engineer focused on data governance policies, processes, standards, and monitoring in compliance with internal policies and applicable regulatory frameworks, such as GDPR, DPA, ISO, etc. A successful candidate will develop Python‑based tooling to automate the operations of an internal data mesh solution – data labeling, quality metrics, access management, and data security best practices.

Location
:
This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region.

• Define, monitor, and execute data governance policies
• Design, implement, and maintain tooling for automated data mesh operations
• Deploy and operate services developed by the team
• Coach, mentor, and offer career‑development feedback (depending on seniority)
• Develop and evangelize great engineering and organizational practices

• Exceptional academic record from high school and university
• Undergraduate degree in a technical subject or a compelling narrative about an alternative chosen path
• Track record of going above and beyond expectations to achieve outstanding results
• Experience with data quality, governance, and security processes and tools
• Experience with software development in Python and SQL
• Professional written and spoken English with excellent presentation skills
• Result‑oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
• Ability to travel internationally twice a year for company events up to two weeks long

• Performance engineering and security experience
• Experience with Airbyte, Ranger, Superset, Temporal, or Trino

• Distributed work environment with twice‑yearly team sprints in person
• 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 Program
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long‑haul company events

Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source. As the company that publishes Ubuntu – one of the most important open‑source projects and the platform for AI, IoT, and the cloud – we are changing the world of software. We recruit on a global basis, set a very high standard for people joining the company, and expect excellence.

We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.