Engineering Manager - Build and Release Infrastructure

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 1200+ 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.

We are hiring an Engineering Manager to shape the Future of Open-Source Development with Launchpad Are you an experienced engineering leader passionate about open-source software, Linux, and web services? Join the Launchpad team at Canonical and help drive the evolution of a critical development platform used by some of the world's most influential open-source projects, including Ubuntu.

Launchpad is a powerful platform that enables collaboration across the open-source ecosystem. From code hosting and review to bug tracking, package building, and translations, it provides essential infrastructure that empowers developers worldwide. As an engineering manager, you will play a pivotal role in guiding the team, fostering technical excellence, and shaping the strategic direction of Launchpad’s continued success.

At Canonical, engineering managers are first and foremost servant leaders, focused on enabling their teams to do their best work. Your leadership will ensure a thriving engineering culture where innovation, collaboration, and growth flourish. You will inspire and mentor a team of talented engineers, helping them develop their skills and achieve career growth. You will shape technical direction, influencing strategic decisions and ensuring the successful execution of initiatives. Collaboration will be at the heart of your role, working closely with stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions that support open-source communities.

Canonical offers a unique opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in technology in a globally distributed, high-impact environment. Build a meaningful career at the forefront of open-source innovation while leading a team dedicated to advancing tools that empower developers worldwide.

If you’re ready to lead and make a lasting impact on open-source development, we’d love to hear from you!

Location: This is a remote role based in the EMEA region. Candidates will be expected to be located within this region.

The role entails

• growing a high-performing engineering team in your region, fostering an environment of collaboration and technical excellence.
• coaching, mentoring, and providing hands-on career development opportunities, ensuring engineers achieve their full potential.
• applying sound engineering principles to solve complex challenges and directly contribute to your team’s technical goals.
• building strong relationships with stakeholders across teams, management, and external partners, driving alignment and shared success.
• spearheading the continuous development of Launchpad—the backbone for world-class software like Ubuntu.
• leading the ongoing development of Launchpad, the infrastructure on which great software like Ubuntu is built
• advocating and advancing modern, agile software development practices and helping develop and evangelise great engineering and organisational practices
• cultivating a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative work environment that aligns with company values.
• working closely with the broader leadership team to shape the direction of engineering efforts.
• enjoying the autonomy of working from home while engaging with global teams, including up to 6 weeks per year of international travel for key events.

What we are looking for in you

• You have experience driving the success of a distributed team, ensuring seamless feature delivery and robust production services at scale.
• You love to inspire, mentor, and develop engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth and have an outstanding track record of doing so.
• You have a deep technical expertise and passion to fuel innovation, enabling your team to solve complex challenges with confidence.
• You have led teams to build and ship high-quality software, pushing the boundaries of scalability and reliability.
• You have experience designing and evolving distributed systems that power mission-critical applications and future-proof infrastructure.
• You are capable of articulating ideas effectively, ensuring alignment across teams and stakeholders with clear, persuasive communication.
• You have a track record of driving agile methodologies, fostering adaptability, collaboration, and efficiency in a fast-moving environment.

What we offer colleagues

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 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 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
• 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

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 our 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.

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