Senior Software Engineer

We are hiring a Senior Software Engineer to drive the architecture, design and evolution of high-impact open source software. In this role, you will make a significant contribution in Canonical's portfolio through high-quality code, technical leadership, team motivation and direction, exceptional design, and crisp documentation.
This is a general track for Senior+ (Senior/Staff/Principal) Engineers at Canonical. After the first round of interviews we will establish which teams might be an excellent fit for you.
About the role
At Canonical a Senior+ Engineer is not only an outstanding software architect and coder, they also demonstrate the leadership qualities needed to rally a team or department to ship outstanding products. A Senior+ Engineer partners with other Engineering leaders (Managers, Directors, VPs) to take joint responsibility for outcomes at team, department and company level.
Our teams work at every level of the stack. From the kernel and system software at the core of Ubuntu through to major language runtimes and the bleeding-edge of cloud automation and distributed systems, you'll have the opportunity to work on complex but highly rewarding projects. Our teams also build the services which deliver Ubuntu to the world, on cloud, devices, servers and PCs.
Additionally, this role will give you the opportunity to engage with the broader open-source community. We're looking for individuals who can help build a thriving community, contribute to a broad range of technologies, and ensure seamless software operations at scale.
Location: Worldwide - fully remote
What you’ll do
Leading design and architecture of an impactful open source project
Coding in Golang, Rust, Python, C/C++ or Typescript / React
Debugging issues and producing high-quality code to fix them
Contributing to technical documentation with the aim to make it the best of its kind
Mentoring, developing and advising colleagues in their career progression
Displaying technical leadership in Canonical and our communities
Collaborating proactively with a globally distributed team
What we are looking for in you
Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or a compelling narrative about your alternative path.
Technical leadership as well as team motivation, direction and pace.
Deep experience with at least one of Go, Rust, Python or C.
Conscientiousness and detail orientation, with a focus on performance.
An exceptional academic track record from high school and university.
Business level written and spoken English.
Willingness to travel 2-4 times a year for company events, for up to two weeks.
Nice-to-have skills
Depending on your eventual team, you might also bring experience with
Container technologies such as LXD, Docker and Kubernetes
Highly concurrent, distributed systems
Performance engineering – from kernel to web – benchmarks, optimization
Software security – fuzzing, tabletop threat models, analysis, audit
Build systems and toolchains, including for cross-compilation
Public clouds or OpenStack
Debian/Ubuntu packaging
Systems programming or scalable web services
Deep quality and test engineering
Web or Flutter front-end experience
REST and gRPC API experience
SQL and NoSQL data store expertise
How we work
We look for a track record of going above-and-beyond expectations to achieve outstanding results, backed by self-motivation and drive. Our team members deliver their work precisely, with correctness and clarity. Reliability is at our core, where colleagues deliver high quality work that builds trust and confidence. We make ourselves accessible, collaborating to build products and systems that are usable. Finally we are adroit, blending enthusiasm, knowledge, adaptability, style and character.
What we offer colleagues
We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We assess performance and revisit compensation twice annually to ensure we recognize outstanding colleagues. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. 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
Bi-annual compensation review
Company recognition rewards
40 days annual leave per annum, including public holidays and our All Company holiday periods
Maternity and paternity leave
Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform
Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues, with Priority Pass for lounge access
About Canonical
Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source. 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. We are founder-led, profitable, and growing.
Powered by worldwide distributed collaboration since our inception in 2004, we believe tech and business leadership can emerge anywhere. We have no central headquarters. Most of us work from home, but we are exceptionally disciplined about this. We have very high expectations of all colleagues, and are champions of excellence. 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.

Work arrangement
Yes