Engineering Manager - Ubuntu Desktop Apps

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 Desktop engineering teams build the modern Linux desktop experience used daily by millions of developers, enterprises, and open source communities worldwide.

• →Guide architecture and technical direction for Ubuntu desktop applications
• →Ensure strong integration with the Ubuntu platform, Snap ecosystem, and system services
• →Participate in design reviews and key technical decisions
• →Promote high standards for performance, reliability, and security

• Lead and support a team of talented engineers
• Mentor and grow engineers across frontend and systems domains
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement

• Plan and deliver features across multiple release cycles
• Balance innovation with reliability and maintainability
• Improve CI/CD pipelines, test coverage, and release quality

• Work with product and design teams to deliver intuitive user experiences
• Collaborate across Canonical engineering teams
• Engage with 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 building and shipping graphical applications
• Experience leading engineering projects or teams
• Expertise in Flutter and Dart, with experience in Go or Rust as a plus
• Experience working with modern Linux desktop technologies such as Wayland, D-Bus, Systemd, or GNOME
• 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

• Experience contributing to or leading open source projects
• Experience with Linux distribution development
• Familiarity with software packaging and application sandboxing
• Performance 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
• Gain a deep understanding of the Ubuntu desktop architecture and application stack
• Identify key improvement opportunities in engineering processes or product quality

• Deliver meaningful improvements to the Ubuntu desktop application experience
• Strengthen development workflows, testing practices, and delivery reliability
• Help the team grow and maintain a high standard of engineering excellence

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.