
Linux Desktop Support Engineer (London UK office)
Canonical · London Area, United Kingdom
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $60,000 / year
- London Area, United Kingdom
Job highlights
- Provide technical support for employees and customers.
- Manage and resolve customer cases independently.
- Support office infrastructure, events, and demos.
- Utilize Linux troubleshooting and integration skills.
- Contribute to knowledge base and improve services.
About the role
Linux Desktop Support Engineer
This is an opportunity to kickstart your career by joining Canonical. You will be working from our Canonical London Office and will be accountable for delivering technical support to our employees and customers, as well as facilitating AV support for office conferences and events. From problem qualification to full resolution, you will own and manage your cases. When needed, you will transfer your cases to your colleagues or involve senior engineers.
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 1100+ 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.
This is an opportunity for a Linux Engineer/Administrator with a passion for Linux and Customer Success to build a career with Canonical and support the technical needs of customers leveraging Ubuntu and open source products. If you have a passion for technology and an eagerness to learn, then you will enjoy working with some of the best people in the industry at Canonical.
You will be accountable for delivering an outstanding technical support experience on the full Desktop and Server technical stack at Canonical. From problem qualification to full resolution, you will own and manage your cases. When needed, you will transfer your cases to your colleagues or involve senior engineers.
Your day-to-day job is to provide technical expertise, be an excellent communicator and a service-oriented professional. Every day you will have to make judgement calls to prioritise customer issues and maximise your effectiveness. You will also need to set time aside to learn about our new products and technologies and evolve as a professional. You will participate in various training sessions, team gatherings and Company events.
The Role Entails
- Investigate issues reported by customers by researching and escalating issues.
- Work to resolve complex customer problems related to Canonical’s portfolio of products.
- Ownership of results: Ensure that each support case owned by you is handled according to our Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the highest possible customer satisfaction by setting the right expectations and fulfilling your commitments.
- Engage directly with customers and work collaboratively by phone, ticketing system, and remote sessions to resolve their issues.
- Participate in a regular weekend working rotation.
- Contribute new knowledge base articles and maintain existing articles, ensuring shared knowledge and lessons learned are available to customers.
- Understanding Ubuntu development process to be able to set customer expectations correctly on timeline for a fix.
What We Are Looking For In You
- Professional written and spoken English with excellent presentation skills.
- Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university.
- Undergraduate degree in a technical subject or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path.
- Track record of going above-and-beyond expectations to achieve outstanding results.
- Work from our new, state-of-the-art London, UK office and provide technical support for employees.
- Familiarize with and own the technical infrastructure supporting the office and the stack supporting events and customer demos.
- Provide technical onboarding support for new employees.
- Provide technical and infrastructure support during office events.
- Identify and suggest any opportunities to provide a better service.
- Experience with Linux troubleshooting (collecting logs and stack traces, fine-tuning by editing configuration files).
- Experience with Linux integration with other environments (authentication/directory services, network file systems, etc.).
- Hands-on and working experience in supporting Linux systems including any of: Virtualization / Cloud - primarily using KVM or OpenStack. Containers - especially with Docker, LXD/LXC, or Kubernetes. Storage technologies - block, object and network. Networking (bonding, firewalling, bridging, switching, network file system tuning, MTU issues, etc.).
- Ability to learn quickly, thrive on change and handle the pressure of a customer facing job.
- Programming fundamentals in any language.
- Ability to travel internationally twice a year for company events up to two weeks long.
- Extensive Customer support experience is key: Customer needs are top priority. Communicate professionally, emphatically, clearly and set the right expectations.
What We Offer
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 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.
- 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 of software. 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. Most colleagues at Canonical have worked from home 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.
Key skills/competency
- Linux Desktop Support Engineer
- Customer Support
- Ubuntu
- Open Source
- Technical Support
- Linux Troubleshooting
- System Administration
- IT Support
- Problem Solving
- Customer Success
Skills & topics
- Linux
- Desktop Support
- Ubuntu
- Canonical
- Technical Support
- Open Source
- Customer Support
- IT Support
- System Administration
- London
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your Linux troubleshooting, customer support experience, and academic achievements. Emphasize any open-source contributions or projects.
- Craft a compelling cover letter: Showcase your passion for Linux and customer success, and explain how your skills align with Canonical's mission and values.
- Prepare for technical questions: Brush up on Linux fundamentals, common troubleshooting scenarios, and your experience with virtualization, containers, storage, and networking.
- Demonstrate customer focus: During interviews, share examples of how you've gone above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction and managed difficult customer situations effectively.
- Research Canonical: Understand their products like Ubuntu, their company culture, and their commitment to open source and distributed collaboration.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What are the key responsibilities for a Linux Desktop Support Engineer at Canonical?
- As a Linux Desktop Support Engineer at Canonical, your primary responsibilities include providing technical support to employees and customers, resolving complex issues related to Canonical's products like Ubuntu, managing support cases from start to finish, and supporting office infrastructure and events. You'll also contribute to the knowledge base and collaborate with senior engineers when needed.
- What technical skills are essential for this Linux Desktop Support Engineer role at Canonical?
- Essential technical skills include strong Linux troubleshooting abilities (log collection, configuration file editing), experience with Linux integration (authentication, network file systems), and familiarity with supporting Linux systems in areas like virtualization (KVM, OpenStack), containers (Docker, LXD/LXC, Kubernetes), storage, and networking. Programming fundamentals are also beneficial.
- What academic background or experience does Canonical look for in a Linux Desktop Support Engineer candidate?
- Canonical seeks candidates with an exceptional academic track record, ideally with an undergraduate degree in a technical subject. However, they are also open to compelling narratives about alternative paths. Extensive customer support experience, a track record of exceeding expectations, and a passion for Linux and customer success are highly valued.
- Does Canonical offer opportunities for career growth for a Linux Desktop Support Engineer?
- Yes, Canonical emphasizes career growth. This role is an opportunity to kickstart your career, build expertise with Ubuntu and open-source products, and evolve as a professional. They offer a personal learning and development budget, annual compensation reviews, and encourage continuous learning.
- What is the work environment like at Canonical for a Linux Desktop Support Engineer?
- Canonical is a pioneer in global distributed collaboration, with most colleagues working remotely. While this role is office-based in London, the company culture encourages smart work, continuous learning, and offers opportunities for global team gatherings twice a year. They are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity.
- How does Canonical handle compensation and benefits for its Linux Desktop Support Engineers?
- Canonical considers location, experience, and performance for compensation, with annual reviews. They offer a base pay, performance-driven bonuses, and a comprehensive benefits package including a personal learning and development budget, recognition rewards, and leave options.
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