Developer Relations Engineer

Developer Relations Engineer at Canonical

As the publisher of Ubuntu, Canonical serves millions of developers building for the cloud, IoT, and data science. Our mission is to make open source easier and more reliable for innovators and enterprises. We have established a new Developer Relations team to directly engage with open-source communities and developer-centric organizations. This team aims to communicate our vision and products for superior open-source development experiences, while also fostering a robust feedback loop from these audiences to shape our offerings and priorities.

A Developer Relations Engineer at Canonical is a technical expert, strategist, and communicator with deep empathy for developers. This role blends practical engineering skills with firm diplomacy across organizational boundaries. Like our audience, a Developer Relations Engineer is driven by insatiable curiosity to find better ways to get things done, never satisfied with the status quo. They are problem-solvers and inventors who understand user needs and adapt tools to meet them, staying current with tech trends, providing insights, guidance, and fostering innovation.

To enhance your application, please review Canonical's advice on how to get a job at Canonical.

Location: We are building our initial DevRel team across Europe, Middle East, African, and American time zones.

What your day will look like

• Take part in team product meetings, from strategy to day-by-day development progress, contributing insight and expertise.
• Maintain conversations with developer community members across various platforms like IRC, social media, product forums, and meet-ups.
• Collaborate with colleagues in other teams to establish commonality and consistent approaches.
• Help solve specific technical problems identified by users or colleagues.
• Contribute to technical documentation to ensure developer users' needs are met.
• Work on technical articles, presentations, or workshops.
• Identify new opportunities and directions for improving the developer experience we provide.
• Present at conferences, meetups, or technical events.

What we are looking for in you

A strong candidate:

• Is a programmer or developer with a demonstrable passion for and engagement in open-source software.
• Has worked with real-world challenges developing and deploying software using Linux.
• Has practical, hands-on experience with Linux software packaging (including Snaps, debs, charms, rocks, PIP, containers).
• Understands current software packaging issues and trends in the Linux ecosystem.
• Has been a contributor to open-source communities, software, and documentation.
• Is an engaging, vivacious speaker and presenter.
• Can work effectively, tactfully, empathetically, and confidently in contexts where different parties have different perspectives, needs, and understanding.
• Builds trust, relationships, and confidence.
• Is willing to travel globally twice a year for company events, as well as to upstream and partner events.

Additional Skills That You Might Also Bring

• Previous experience in a developer advocacy or community role.
• In-depth familiarity with Ubuntu and the Canonical ecosystem of products.

What we offer you

Canonical considers geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide, with annual reviews to recognize outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus and a comprehensive benefits package designed to meet local needs globally, reflecting our values.

• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person – we’ve been working remotely since 2004!
• 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 from your team and others.
• Priority Pass for travel 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, a critical open-source project and platform for AI, IoT, and the cloud, we are changing the world daily. We recruit globally, setting high standards for excellence. Canonical has been a remote-first company since 2004, offering a unique window into 21st-century digital business and challenging you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer, fostering a workplace free from discrimination. We believe diversity of experience, perspectives, and background creates a better work environment and better products. Your application will receive fair consideration regardless of your identity.

Key skills/competency

• Developer Relations
• Open Source
• Linux
• Community Engagement
• Technical Communication
• Software Packaging
• Ubuntu
• Diplomacy
• Public Speaking
• Problem Solving