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Job Title


Engineering Manager, Ubuntu Server - cloud-init


Company : Canonical


Location : Ottawa, Ontario


Created : 2025-10-18


Job Type : Full Time


Job Description

OverviewJoin to apply for the Engineering Manager, Ubuntu Server - cloud-init role at Canonical.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.Ubuntu Server is the world's most popular Linux - on cloud and bare metal. In this role, you will manage the team delivering cloud-init - the standard for customizing cloud instances - to the world. Driving early system config is so much broader than just Ubuntu on a server. Cloud-init supports various distributions and underlying platforms, providing a great opportunity to work with cloud providers to add features/integration and improve efficiency, the whole cloud-init community from individual users and developers to major contributing companies, and distributions to update their builds and coordinate their needs. You will be fully owning the product allowing you to influence its evolution and interact with many teams and partners to coordinate new features, enhancements and integration into various platforms. The successful applicant will be passionate about the future of cloud-init, mindful of the dynamics of the open source ecosystem, and aware of the needs of large, innovative customers. This is an exciting opportunity for a leader passionate about strong teams, open source software and Ubuntu.What youll doResponsibilitiesBuild and lead a globally distributed team of engineersDevelop talent through coaching, mentoring, feedback and hands-on career developmentWork with Product Management to define the vision and strategy for Ubuntu and your teamEffectively set and manage expectations with other engineering teams, senior management, and external stakeholdersAdvocate and advance modern, agile software development practicesDevelop and evangelize great engineering and organizational practicesGrow a healthy, collaborative engineering culture in line with the company valuesBe an active part of the leadership team and collaborate with other leaders in the organisationParticipate in strong engineering process through code and architectural reviewEngage with teams at Canonical, the open source community and commercial partnersOversee the quality of the Ubuntu Server image familyPlan and deliver Ubuntu Server featuresWork from home with global travel for up to 6 weeks per year for internal and external eventsQualificationsYou love developing and growing people and have a strong track record of doing itYou are knowledgeable and passionate about software developmentYou have 3+ years of experience in leading, managing, coaching and mentoring software developers. Experience managing distributed teams is a plus.You are focused on success and the delivery of timely, high quality softwareYou have experience working in an agile development environmentYou have a Bachelor's or equivalent in Computer Science, STEM or similar degreeYou have strong written and verbal technical communication skills in EnglishYou have experience with a modern GNU/Linux distribution, Debian or Ubuntu preferredYou have practical experience with at least 1 of Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or Amazon Web ServicesBenefitsDistributed 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.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.EEO statements: Were committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.Job location and eligibilityGet notified about new Engineering Manager jobs in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. #J-18808-Ljbffr