Linux Software Engineer - Ubuntu for Next-Gen Silicon

About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering tech firm and a leading provider of open source software, notably Ubuntu, to global enterprise and technology markets. Ubuntu is widely utilized in breakthrough initiatives across public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. The company prides itself on a global distributed collaboration model with over 1200 colleagues in 75+ countries, fostering a remote-first culture since 2004. Teams gather 2-4 times annually in interesting locations for strategy and execution alignment.

Canonical is founder-led, profitable, and experiencing growth, consistently setting a high standard for talent, expecting excellence and challenging colleagues to innovate and develop new skills.

The Role: Linux Software Engineer - Ubuntu for Next-Gen Silicon

Canonical’s Partner Engineering Team is seeking open-source enthusiasts to contribute across the entire Linux stack. In this role, you will be instrumental in optimizing Ubuntu for new silicon technologies, including hardware accelerators, AI stacks, confidential computing, networking, virtualization, and containerization stacks. This involves close collaboration with worldwide silicon companies to ensure Ubuntu's seamless integration and performance across diverse architectures such as x86, ARM, RISC-V, PowerPC, and s390x.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate proactively within a globally distributed team.
• Fostering a software ecosystem with seamless user experience for all Ubuntu users.
• Evaluating contributions of other engineers to maintain high-quality software standards.
• Playing a role in shaping the future of Ubuntu via both - new ideas in your areas of interest and advising on work being done elsewhere.
• Collaborating with other teams in the Ubuntu and Debian communities, with upstream projects, and commercially supported customers.
• Debugging issues on open source code and team maintained code.
• Helping our our customers to integrate their apps, SDKs, build OS images, optimize applications with Ubuntu Core, Desktop and Server.
• Working with a team to maintain Ubuntu, silicon features, and silicon-optimized packages across platforms and technologies such as:
  • Servers, HPC and AI systems, IoT devices, PCs, SmartNICs and automotive systems.
  • AI stacks.
  • Graphics, audio and multimedia stacks.
  • Virtualisation and Containers.
  • Hardware enablement stacks.
  • New architectures, architecture variants and optimized toolchains.
  • Package management and dependencies.
  • Platform security (secure boot, FDE, Ubuntu Core, Confidential Computing).

What We Are Looking For

• 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.
• You love technology and working with brilliant people.
• You are curious, flexible, articulate, and accountable.
• You value soft skills and are passionate, enterprising, thoughtful, and self-motivated.
• You value building partnerships with a diverse set of internal and external groups.
• Strong fundamentals in C, C++ and Python.
• Experience or interest in learning Linux distribution packaging.
• Experience or Interest in open source maintenance or contribution and licenses.
• Fundamental understanding of package management and dependency resolution.

Additional Skills That You Might Also Bring

Candidates might also bring experience with one or more of the following:

• Graphics, audio, or multimedia stacks.
• Virtualization and containers (Docker, OCI, Kubernetes).
• Hardware enablement for platforms and devices, including SmartNICs, NVMe storage, GPUs, audio components, and sensors.
• Performance optimization.
• Toolchain development and maintenance.
• Networking protocols and technologies (TCP/IP, DHCP, HTTP/REST).
• Security best practices.
• IoT and embedded systems, including board-level hardware, SoCs, BMCs, bootloaders, firmware, operating systems, applications, and services.

What Canonical Offers

Canonical values its colleagues and offers a comprehensive benefits package, globally balanced to meet local needs while ensuring fairness. Compensation is revisited annually and considers geographical location, experience, and performance. In addition to base pay, a performance-driven annual bonus or commission is provided.

• 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.
• Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform.
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues.
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events.

Key skills/competency

• Linux Software Development
• Ubuntu Optimization
• C/C++/Python Programming
• Open Source Contribution
• Silicon Technologies
• Kernel Development
• Virtualization/Containers
• Hardware Enablement
• Package Management
• Platform Security