Ubuntu Package Management - Engineering Manager
Job description
Software Engineering Manager to lead the Ubuntu Foundations Package Management team, combining people management with active engineering involvement. The team develops and maintains the software management infrastructure underpinning every Ubuntu system, including APT, dpkg, firmware and driver management.
At a glance
- Employment
- Full-time · Employee (employment agreement)
- Work mode
- Remote · Worldwide
What you'll do
- Define the technical vision and roadmap for Ubuntu's package management and system lifecycle platform
- Participate in design reviews and key technical decisions affecting software management and system lifecycle technologies across the Ubuntu ecosystem
- Promote high standards for performance, reliability, security, and maintainability
- Lead and support a team of engineers responsible for key Ubuntu platform technologies
- Mentor and grow engineers, helping them expand their technical leadership, ownership, and organizational impact
- Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement
- Plan and deliver improvements across multiple Ubuntu release cycles
- Balance innovation with stability, compatibility, and long-term maintainability
- Improve test automation, release quality, and operational reliability
- Build strong partnerships across Ubuntu Engineering, including Release Engineering, Launchpad, Desktop, Server, Security, OEM, and Product teams
- Collaborate with Debian, upstream projects, and the Ubuntu open source community
What we're looking for
- 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
- Strong background in software engineering and system design
- Experience leading engineering teams, including people management, coaching, and performance development
- Experience developing or operating Linux distribution technologies, package management systems, or software distribution infrastructure
- Strong understanding of systems software and operating system architecture
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in a globally distributed engineering team
- Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each
Nice to have
- Familiarity with package repositories, archives, or release engineering processes
- Experience contributing to Debian, Ubuntu, or other open source infrastructure projects
- Performance, reliability, or security engineering experience
Your team
Ubuntu Foundations Package Management team
Part of the broader Ubuntu Foundations organisation, the team develops and maintains the software management infrastructure that underpins every Ubuntu system, owning technologies including APT, dpkg, firmware management, and driver management.
Benefits
- 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
- Performance-driven annual bonus
Apply
About Canonical
The company that publishes Ubuntu
Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Its platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation and IoT. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office based roles.
Mission
To be a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source.
Key facts
- 1200+ colleagues
- 2004
- Open source software and operating systems
- Publishes Ubuntu, one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud
- Remote-first company since its inception in 2004
- Founder led, profitable and growing
- 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries
- Teams meet two to four times yearly in person
What they value
- Excellence
- Ownership
- Collaboration
- Continuous improvement