Ubuntu Package Management - Engineering Manager

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.

Our Ubuntu Engineering teams build the operating system platform used by millions of developers, enterprises, device makers, cloud providers, and open source communities worldwide.

• →Define the technical vision and roadmap for Ubuntu's package management and system lifecycle platform
• →Participate in design reviews and key technical decisions affecting software management and system lifecycle technologies across the Ubuntu ecosystem
• →Promote high standards for performance, reliability, security, and maintainability

• Lead and support a team of engineers responsible for key Ubuntu platform technologies.
• Mentor and grow engineers, helping them expand their technical leadership, ownership, and organizational impact
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement

• Plan and deliver improvements across multiple Ubuntu release cycles
• Balance innovation with stability, compatibility, and long-term maintainability
• Improve test automation, release quality, and operational reliability

• Build strong partnerships across Ubuntu Engineering, including Release Engineering, Launchpad, Desktop, Server, Security, OEM, and Product teams
• Collaborate with Debian, upstream projects, and the Ubuntu open source community

• 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
• Strong background in software engineering and system design
• Experience leading engineering teams, including people management, coaching, and performance development
• Experience developing or operating Linux distribution technologies, package management systems, or software distribution infrastructure
• Strong understanding of systems software and operating system architecture
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively in a globally distributed engineering team
• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each

• Familiarity with package repositories, archives, or release engineering processes
• Experience contributing to Debian, Ubuntu, or other open source infrastructure projects
• Performance, reliability, or security engineering experience

We know that strong candidates may not meet every qualification. If you are excited by this role and our mission, we encourage you to apply.

• Build strong relationships with the team and stakeholders across Ubuntu Engineering
• Gain a deep understanding of Ubuntu package management, update flows, archive interactions, and release processes
• Identify key improvement opportunities in reliability, test coverage, engineering processes, and product quality

• Establish strong partnerships with stakeholders across Ubuntu Engineering, including Release Engineering, Launchpad, Desktop, Server, Security, OEM, and Product
• Grow the team and raise the overall level of engineering excellence, ownership, and technical leadership
• Improve roadmap clarity, planning, and execution across the team's portfolio
• Deliver meaningful improvements to Ubuntu's package management and system lifecycle platform

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 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.

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.