Linux Software Engineering Manager - Ubuntu Platform Optimisation

The Partner Engineering team works across the full Linux stack from kernel and system libraries to middleware, to integrate new features and optimise Ubuntu for the latest silicon platforms and software stacks. Our goal is to ensure Ubuntu is the premier platform for small iot and edge devices, networking, automotive, server and hyperconverged systems.

As a Partner Engineering Manager you will lead an engineering team focused on some of these platforms. You will manage technical relationships with our key silicon partners to ensure timely delivery of agreed project goals, and collaborate with internal teams to deliver targeted results. Technical leadership experience and a background in software engineering, with a hands-on approach, are necessary prerequisites for this role.

In this role, you will be expected to lead, challenge, and develop talented engineers, positively influence the culture, facilitate technical delivery, and work with your team on strategy and execution.

What you’ll do

• Lead and develop a team of engineers, ranging from graduate to senior

• Represent your team to partners, product stakeholders and customers 

• Collaborate proactively with a globally distributed organisation

• Develop and evangelise great engineering and organisational practices

• Coach, mentor, and offer career development feedback

• Implement disciplined engineering processes

• Plan and manage progress on agreed goals and projects

• Be an active part of the leadership team, collaborating with other leaders

• Collaborate with other teams at Canonical to ensure alignment on product architecture and roadmaps

• Design and integrate new features and platform optimisations

What we’re looking for in you

• Experience with Linux packaging (Debian, RPM, Yocto)

• Experience working with Python, C, C++

• Experience managing software engineers with a track record of planning, delivery and quality

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

• A love of developing and growing people and a track record of it

• Organised and able to ensure your team delivers timely, high quality results

• Well-organised, self-starting and able to ensure your team delivers to schedule

• Professional manner interacting with colleagues, partners, and community

• Experience working with customers, going beyond resolving their technical issues, to interpreting their business challenges and effectively communicating how your solution will meet their needs

• High-quality, well-designed and well-documented software experience

• Builds trust, relationships and confidence

• Solid experience working in an agile development environment

• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each

Additional skills we value

• Experience working with open source communities and licenses

• Experience with server technologies, including UEFI firmware, GPU computing, RDMA/Infiniband and virtualization stacks (kvm, qemu, libvirt)

• Experience with IoT / Embedded devices from firmware, boot loaders and BSP enablement including hardware accelerators

• Experience with graphics stacks

• Experience with open source networking technologies (eBPF, OVS, OVN, SoNIC, DPDK, SPDK, etc)

• Experience with container technologies such as LXD, Docker and Kubernetes 

• Understanding of security best practices and Secure Software Development Lifecycles

• Experience designing and implementing CI/CD automation platforms such as GitHub Actions

• Experience with performance benchmarking and profiling

What we offer you

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognise outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus. We provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.

• 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 Programme

• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues

• Priority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company events

About Canonical

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.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer

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.

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