Job Application for Software Engineering Director at Canonical

This is the general track for Engineering Director at Canonical, apply here if you are confident to run a project which spans teams and time zones, hiring and managing engineering managers and staff engineers.

Canonical’s largest software products are built by multiple teams working together under a single director of engineering. Once you have passed the first round of interviews we will discuss specific software products which would be a good fit for your interests.

We believe that open source is just starting to transform the tech sector and enterprise compute. Our goal is to make open source easier, more reliable and more secure for deployment and development. We strive to be the provider of ‘most software to most companies’. To deliver on that ambition, our engineers are carefully selected from the applicants across the globe. We select for brilliance and motivation to take open source to the next level. Our engineering directors set the pace and the direction to help teams achieve more than they realised they could, and feel proud of the result.

Even though this is a senior management position, managing managers, we expect Engineering Directors to be outstanding developers with the confidence to lead by example across the full range of activities in their teams. You need to understand what great code looks like in the language and genre of your product - whether that is a web service, or a system daemon, or a desktop application, or a distributed system. You’ll need to know how to drive testing and benchmarking to improve the clarity in your teams around quality and performance. You’ll also need to be confident to set and defend high expectations of work ethic, consistency, focus and learning.

We have director level roles across a wide range of engineering domains, including:

Python and Golang
C / C++ / Rust
Data infrastructure
HTML / CSS / JavaScript / Typescript / React
Flutter
Distro packaging and systems
SAAS and web microservices
Kernel
Servers
Graphics, Browser and Desktop
Silicon enablement and embedded devices
Product Security

If your domain of expertise isn’t listed above, yet you feel it’s relevant to Canonical, then feel free to apply anyway. We will route you to the most suitable team.

Location: The role is remote, with positions available in all time zones. It includes a requirement for global travel for twice per year, for trips up to two weeks long.

What you’ll do

Lead multiple teams of engineers, ranging from graduate to senior
Develop your engineering managers and maintain Canonical culture
Hire staff level engineers for specific roles like performance and quality
Coach, mentor, and offer career development feedback
Identify and measure indicators of team health and productivity
Ensure rounded delivery including community participation and docs
Implement disciplined engineering processes and defend them
Set and measure progress against benchmark goals for speed and efficiency
Represent your product to stakeholders, partners, and customers
Develop and evangelise great engineering and organisational practices
Plan and manage progress on agreed goals and projects
Be an active part of the leadership team, collaborating with other leaders
Collaborate with leads for related or dependent products

What we’re looking for in you

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
Extensive management experience and confidence to set high expectations
Outstanding Linux based software engineering track record
Drive and a track record of going above-and-beyond expectations
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
Public speaking and presentation skills
A love of developing and growing people and a track record of it
Experience in leading, coaching and mentoring software developers
Organised and able to ensure your team delivers timely, high quality results
Well-organised, self-starting and able to deliver to schedule
Professional manner interacting with colleagues, partners, and community
You have advanced expertise in your own domain
You are knowledgeable and passionate about software development
You have solid experience working in an agile development environment
You have a demonstrated drive for continual learning
Builds trust, relationships and confidence
Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each

Additional skills we value

Experience in a developer advocacy or community role
Open source community engagement and leadership
Ops and system administration experience
Performance engineering and security experience

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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Software Engineering Director

What you’ll do

What we’re looking for in you

Additional skills we value

What we offer you

About Canonical

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer

Apply for this job

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