Community Engineer

About the Role: Community Engineer at Canonical

Our ambition at Canonical is to set a standard of excellence in serving the open source ecosystem. This is your opportunity to contribute as a Community Engineer. We are scaling our community management efforts and have multiple positions available across different seniority levels. All applications are managed through a single entry point, and we recommend reading our advice on how to get a job at Canonical to improve your chances of success.

The Role of a Community Engineer

The Community team at Canonical empowers community leaders and participants, coordinating with Canonical teams to ensure efficient and well-run community processes. We facilitate the work of the community, enabling energetic and ambitious open source members to benefit from Canonical's efforts and bring their unique vision of Ubuntu to life. You will play a crucial role in designing, executing, and scaling initiatives that cultivate a thriving community.

This position is ideal for a technically proficient individual passionate about open source software, Linux, and sustainable community building. You will leverage your technical and organizational skills to support community initiatives, working closely with developers to streamline processes and align community plans with Canonical’s objectives for maximum impact. You will encourage and facilitate new technical projects that enhance the community contribution experience and represent community interests to various Canonical teams. This includes leading complex, multi-disciplinary programs from conception to launch, collaborating with Developer Relations engineers, technical authors, product managers, marketing teams, engineering teams, and external partners.

You will engage with and support volunteer developers within the Ubuntu community, addressing their concerns and helping them create successful tools. Your efforts will contribute to their success and the overall autonomy and sustainability of community projects. You will also provide essential content and technical support to keep the community engaged and informed. This involves regular blog and social media posts highlighting community initiatives, events, accomplishments, and collaborative efforts between Canonical and the Ubuntu community.

Effective communication with developers and software engineers is key, representing both the Ubuntu community and Canonical’s contributions to the broader Linux ecosystem. Our team actively participates in conferences and expos, discussing technical community projects and their development processes.

Location

These are fully remote roles, open to candidates across the globe.

What your day will look like

• Write high-quality content to promote and support community initiatives.
• Discuss ideas and collaborate on finding effective solutions to community problems.
• Work from home with global travel 2 to 4 weeks annually for internal and external events, with potential for more travel if desired.
• Nurture community contributions to Ubuntu.
• Engage with the Ubuntu community through platforms like Discourse, Matrix, social media, and conferences.
• Represent Ubuntu via speaking engagements at events and conferences.
• Support the engagement by Canonical teams into the open source ecosystem.

What we are looking for in you

• Love for technology and working with brilliant people.
• Curiosity, flexibility, articulation, and accountability.
• Valuing soft skills; being passionate, enterprising, thoughtful, and self-motivated.
• Experience with developer tools and open source projects.
• A clear public record of accomplishments (talks, blog posts, GitHub, X, etc.).
• Interest and experience with some of the following: Ubuntu Linux (kernel or userspace), DevOps, software development, testing and QA, package management, container technology.
• Ability to work autonomously and assume full ownership of objectives.
• Flexibility with time and enjoyment of working with new technology in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with open source communities and understanding volunteer contributor workflows.
• Experience in (technical) program management and excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Additional Skills That You Might Also Bring

• Experience with community management.
• Experience with Developer advocacy.
• Experience as a software developer.
• Examples of contributions to the Ubuntu Community.
• Experience with contributing to open source projects.

What we offer colleagues

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. Compensation is revisited annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to recognize outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. We provide all team members with additional benefits that reflect our values and ideals, balancing local needs and ensuring global fairness.

• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly in-person team sprints.
• 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 Program.
• 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 globally and maintain a very high standard for people joining our company, expecting excellence in all we do. Most Canonical colleagues have worked from home since our inception in 2004. Working here is a step into the future, challenging you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer, proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. We believe diversity of experience, perspectives, and background creates a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.

Key skills/competency

• Open Source Community Management
• Developer Relations
• Technical Program Management
• Ubuntu Linux
• Content Creation
• Event Speaking
• Volunteer Support
• DevOps
• Container Technology
• Software Development Lifecycle