Ubuntu Engineering Lead

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is very 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. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution. The company is founder led, profitable and growing. We are hiring engineering leaders to work across the breadth of our Ubuntu Engineering organisation—leaders who care deeply for quality, performance and resilience in software, and have a proven track record for building, nurturing and developing high performing engineering teams. This leadership track includes roles for managers and Senior+ engineers alike. At Canonical, managers are expected to stay technical and close to the code, and our Senior+ engineers lead and develop software projects, as well as the processes and people around them. Our teams 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's a platform that enables innovation for millions of users across the globe. Our community represents the full breadth of the developer experience—from students, hobbyists and freelancers to high performance engineering and creative teams in corporate and academic environments. The four key teams that ship Ubuntu are the:Foundations: maintaining foundational software: architectures, package managers, compilers, toolchains, bootloaders, filesystems and core utilitiesServer: leading the design, evolution and future of our Ubuntu Server distributionDesktop: driving Ubuntu Desktop, our future immutable desktop: Ubuntu Core Desktop, WSL, gaming technology, and a suite of modern applications for the desktop crafted with FlutterDebcrafters: 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 todayYou’ll be accountable for your technical roadmap, and responsible for your team: helping them grow as engineers, do important and satisfying work, and have a great time while doing it. Technical leadership experience and a background in software engineering are necessary prerequisites for this role. You will be expected to lead, challenge, and develop strong engineers, positively influence the culture, facilitate technical delivery, and work with your team on strategy and execution. 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.LocationWe have remote roles open in every time zone.ResponsibilitiesBased on the first round of interviews, we identify specific teams where you might be an excellent fit and conduct second‑round interviews with those teams. Our leads are:Leading their teams in elevating the Linux developer and user experienceDesigning, building and shipping high quality, performant software in Rust, Go and PythonDemonstrating sound engineering principles through architecture, development and code reviewsTaking responsibility for planning, estimation and executionWorking with product management to define the vision and strategy for UbuntuSetting expectations with other engineering teams, senior management, and external stakeholdersOffering coaching, mentoring, technical feedback and hands‑on career developmentContributing to upstream and neighboring open source projectsOptimizing the distribution for performance, reliability, and securityDebugging complex system‑level issues and delivering robust solutionsAuthoring and improving technical and community documentationQualificationsAn exceptional academic track record from both high school and universityUndergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or a compelling narrative about your alternative pathAbility to drive and deliver technical work streams going above and beyond expectationsLead and coach others to deliver exceptional engineering workA demonstrated passion for open source softwareSignificant experience with Rust, Go, Python, Flutter or C/C++Professional written and spoken EnglishExcellent communication and interpersonal skillsResult‑oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitmentsAbility to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks eachNice to haveExperience contributing to or leading open source projectsExperience with Linux distributions/distribution engineeringExperience with software packaging and distribution mechanismsPerformance or Security Engineering experienceBenefitsDistributed work environment with twice‑yearly team sprints in personPersonal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per yearAnnual compensation reviewRecognition rewardsAnnual holiday leaveMaternity and paternity leaveEmployee Assistance ProgrammeOpportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleaguesPriority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company eventsAbout CanonicalCanonical 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 on a daily basis. We recruit on a global basis and set a very high standard for people joining the company. We expect excellence— in order to succeed, we need to be the best at what we do. Canonical has been a remote‑first company since its inception in 2004. Working here is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.Equal OpportunityCanonical is an equal opportunity employer. We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background creates a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration. #J-18808-Ljbffr