Engineering Manager - Ubuntu Desktop Apps (Remote)

About the Role

Canonical is seeking an Engineering Manager for Ubuntu Desktop Apps to lead our innovative team remotely. This role combines technical leadership with people management, guiding the development of modern desktop applications that integrate seamlessly with the Ubuntu platform. You will be instrumental in shaping the user experience for millions of users worldwide.

What You’ll Do

• Guide architecture and technical direction for Ubuntu desktop applications, ensuring strong integration with the Ubuntu platform and Snap ecosystem.
• Lead and support a talented team of engineers, fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Participate in design reviews and key technical decisions to promote high standards for performance, reliability, and security.
• Plan and deliver features across multiple release cycles, balancing innovation with reliability and maintainability.
• Improve CI/CD pipelines, test coverage, and release quality to enhance delivery and engineering excellence.
• Collaborate with product and design teams to deliver intuitive user experiences that resonate with our community.
• Engage with the Ubuntu open source community to promote and support our applications.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or a compelling narrative about your alternative path.
• Strong background in software engineering and system design with experience building and shipping graphical applications.
• Proven experience leading engineering projects or teams, with expertise in Flutter and Dart, and familiarity with 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, with the ability to work effectively in a globally distributed engineering team.
• Willingness to travel twice a year for company events, lasting up to two weeks each.

Nice to Have

• Experience contributing to or leading open source projects.
• Familiarity with software packaging and application sandboxing.
• Performance or Security Engineering experience.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary with an annual review and performance-driven bonuses.
• A personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year.
• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person.
• Annual holiday leave, maternity and paternity leave, and an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Opportunities to travel to new locations to meet colleagues and engage with the community.