Ubuntu Software Engineer

Canonical – Ubuntu Engineering – Software Engineer

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 work with the world’s leading public cloud and silicon providers and industry leaders in many sectors. Canonical is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and a remote‑first culture.

The company is founder‑led, profitable and growing. We are hiring engineers to work across the breadth of our Ubuntu Engineering organization – engineers who care deeply for quality, performance and resilience in software and who are just as comfortable designing new software as they are packaging, integrating, testing and shipping the incredible catalog of open source software provided by the Ubuntu repositories.

Our engineers integrate the freshest open source software, provide robust upgrade paths and engineer the future of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is not just the world’s most deployed open source operating system – it is a platform that enables innovation for millions of users across the globe. Our community represents the full breadth of the developer experience, from students and hobbyists to high‑performance engineering and creative teams in corporate and academic environments.

• Foundations
  : maintaining foundational software – architectures, package managers, compilers, tool chains, bootloaders, file systems and core utilities
• Server
  : leading the design, evolution and future of our Ubuntu Server distribution
• Desktop
  : driving Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Core Desktop, WSL, gaming technology and a suite of modern applications for the desktop crafted with Flutter
• Debcrafters
  : a new team responsible for the forward movement, maintenance and overall health of the Ubuntu archive – one of the most abundant repositories of open source software available today

• Development
  : design, build and ship new foundational systems software and applications in Rust, Go, Flutter and Python
• Architecture
  : engineer the integration of open source from boot firmware to cloud applications deployment
• Packaging
  : combine Debian and Snap packaging to ship software in the distribution
• Automation
  : build and maintain the machinery responsible for building, testing and shipping Ubuntu
• Distro Engineering
  : maintain and evolve a Linux distribution and its repositories

This application track is suitable for those at the mid point in their career but perhaps not quite at the Manager/Lead level, with relevant skills to contribute to Ubuntu.

At Canonical, you will have the opportunity to engage with and contribute to the broader open source community. We’re looking for individuals who can help build a thriving community and contribute with enthusiasm and precision to a broad range of technologies.

We have remote roles open in every time zone.

• Designing, building and shipping software in Rust, Go and Python
• Packaging, integrating, testing and uploading open source software to the Ubuntu repositories
• Debugging system‑level issues and delivering robust solutions
• Authoring and improving technical and community documentation
• Contributing to upstream and neighboring open source projects
• Collaborating as part of a globally distributed team
• Mentoring colleagues to build skills and understanding
• Developing and improving processes to more efficiently fulfill our goals

• An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or a compelling narrative about your alternative path
• Drive and a track record of going above and beyond expectations
• A demonstrated 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
• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each

• Experience with Linux distributions and distribution engineering
• Experience with software…