Community Engineer (multiple roles and seniority levels)

Canonical Ltd.; Zürich; Remote; CHF 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Distributed team with in-person sprint

Learning budget USD 2000 per year

Annual compensation review

Maternity and paternity leave

Employee Assistance Program

Travel opportunities

Job summary

Canonical is seeking a Community Engineer to design and scale initiatives that empower the Ubuntu and broader open source communities. You will collaborate with developers, engineers, and marketing teams to align community work with Canonical’s goals.

You will engage with volunteers across Discourse, Matrix, and social channels, sharing content and coordinating events. This is a fully remote role with global reach and opportunities to travel for key events.

Qualifications

• Proven experience with open source communities and Linux ecosystems.
• Clear public record of talks, blog posts, or GitHub activity.
• Experience collaborating with developers and community volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute and scale community initiatives and programs.
• Collaborate with Developer Relations, product, marketing, and engineering teams.
• Engage Ubuntu and Canonical communities via forums, events and social channels.
• Travel 2–4 weeks for internal and external events, as needed.
• Lead cross-disciplinary programs from conception to launch.

Skills

Open source communities

Linux

Developer tools

Community management

Software development

Public record of accomplishments

Ubuntu interests

DevOps

Communication skills

Collaboration across teams

Tools

Discourse

Matrix

GitHub

Git

Job description

Our ambition is to set a standard of excellence when it comes to serving the open source ecosystem. This is your chance to be a part of that as a Community Engineer at Canonical.

We are building community management at scale. We have multiple positions available, at different seniority levels.

All applications and candidates are handled through this single entry point.

To improve your chances of success in this application, read our advice on how to get a job at Canonical.

The role of a Community Engineer

The Community team at Canonical enables community leaders and participants to get things done, co-ordinating with Canonical teams and ensuring that community processes are efficient and well run. We don't do the work of the community, but we facilitate that work to ensure that energetic and ambitious community members with their own vision of open source can benefit from the work Canonical does and bring their own flavor of Ubuntu into being, to meet the needs and express the interests of their community. You will play a key role in designing, executing, and scaling initiatives that foster a thriving community.

This is an exciting opportunity for a technically proficient person who is passionate about open source software, Linux, and sustainable community building.

In this role, you will support community initiatives with your technical skills and strong organizational skills. You work hand in hand with developers to smooth processes and integrate community plans with Canonical plans for maximum impact. You can encourage and facilitate the creation of new technical projects that enhance the community contribution experience, and you represent community interests to Canonical teams. You will lead complex, multi-disciplinary programs from conception through launch, working closely with Developer Relations engineers, technical authors, product managers, marketing teams, engineering teams, and external partners.

You will support and engage with volunteer developers in the Ubuntu community, addressing their concerns and helping them to create successful tools. You will help to ensure their success and the overall autonomy and sustainability of projects.

You will provide the content and technical support to ensure the community stays engaged and informed. This will include regular blog and social media posts about community initiatives, events, accomplishments, and collaborative efforts between Canonical and the Ubuntu community.

You will communicate effectively with developers and software engineers and represent not only the Ubuntu community but Canonical as a contributor to the wider Linux ecosystem. Our team attends conferences and expos, and talks about 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 good solutions to community problems
• Work from home with global travel 2 to 4 weeks for internal and external events
• Potential opportunity to travel more if you wish
• Nurture community contributions to Ubuntu
• Engage with the Ubuntu community through Discourse, Matrix, social media, conferences, etc.
• 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

• 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 have experience with developer tools and open source projects
• You have a clear public record of accomplishments (talks, blog posts, GitHub, X, etc.)
• You have interest and experience with some of the following: Ubuntu Linux - kernel or userspace, DevOps, software development, testing and QA, package management, container technology
• You can work autonomously and assume full ownership of objectives as needed
• You can be flexible with your time and enjoy working with new technology in a fast-paced environment
• You are experienced working with open source communities and understand the workflow of volunteer contributors
• You have experience in (technical) program management and have 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

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
• 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 front 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.