Software Engineering Manager, Ubuntu Gaming

Canonical; City of Moncton; Remote; CAD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech firm is seeking a Software Engineering Manager for Ubuntu Gaming to enhance the gaming experience on Ubuntu. In this position, you'll lead team optimization, collaborate with upstream projects, and manage project timelines. Candidates should possess an undergraduate degree in a technical field along with proven software project management and excellent communication skills. This role offers a remote work environment with opportunities for professional development and team sprints.

Benefits

Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year

Annual compensation review

Recognition rewards

Maternity and paternity leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with upstream projects and partners.
• Exceptional software project management skills, encompassing risk assessment and resource allocation.
• Ability to balance technical leadership with effective team management.

Responsibilities

• Leading your team in optimising and expanding the Ubuntu gaming experience.
• Managing project timelines and balancing feature improvements with deadlines.
• Conducting keen-eyed code reviews focusing on quality and performance.

Skills

Collaboration with upstream projects

Linux graphics stack experience

Software project management

Excellent communication skills

Planning skills

Education

Undergraduate degree in a technical subject

Job description

Overview

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is 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.

As the Software Engineering Manager for Ubuntu Gaming, your mission is to help make gaming on Ubuntu first-class. In this exciting time for Linux gaming, compatibility tools like Proton have matured, but a well-rounded gaming experience goes beyond compatibility. It entails maximising performance, robust and secure anti-cheat mechanisms, full device support, and ease of content creation, sharing and discovery. By collaborating with open-source projects and other partners, you\u2019ll contribute to not just Ubuntu but the wider Linux gaming ecosystem.

Location: This role will be based remotely in the Americas or EMEA region.

Responsibilities

• Leading your team in optimising and expanding the Ubuntu gaming experience, focusing on the Steam Snap.
• Managing project timelines, balancing feature improvements with deadlines.
• Collaborating with stakeholders to align your team\u2019s work with other teams and company objectives.
• Conducting keen-eyed code reviews, focusing on quality, performance, and modern design principles.
• Collaborating with upstream projects like Proton and partners like Unity to enhance Ubuntu\u2019s gaming capabilities.
• Working closely with other teams to ensure a cohesive and comprehensive Ubuntu experience.
• Driving performance improvements across a wide range of hardware.
• Engaging actively with the open source and gaming community to gather feedback and collaborate on improvements.

What we are looking for

• An undergraduate degree in a technical subject or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with upstream projects and partners.
• Familiarity and experience with the Linux graphics stack spanning user-space components to low level kernel drivers.
• Exceptional software project management skills, encompassing risk assessment and resource allocation.
• Ability to balance technical leadership with effective team management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for both internal and external interactions.
• Robust planning skills, demonstrated by your capacity to manage multi-cycle improvements.
• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks long

Nice-to-have skills

• A passion for technology and gaming, driving you to work with intelligent, motivated colleagues.
• Initiative in proactively identifying opportunities and solving challenges.
• Curiosity, flexibility, and a strong sense of accountability.
• A focus on soft skills, including passion, enterprise, and self-motivation.

What we offer

• 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.