Engineering Manager

Canonical; Auckland; Remote; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading open source software company is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead and develop a team of engineers. This role requires excellent communication skills, a strong track record in software development, and the ability to mentor team members. The position is remote-friendly, allowing work across major time zones and providing opportunities for professional development and twice-yearly team meetings worldwide.

Benefits

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

Recognition rewards

Annual holiday leave

Maternity and paternity leave

Qualifications

• Exceptional academic track record
• Experience in leading, coaching, and mentoring software developers
• Knowledgeable and passionate about software development

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of engineers
• Coach, mentor, and offer career development feedback
• Implement disciplined engineering processes

Skills

Leading teams

Coaching and mentoring

Agile development

Excellent communication

Software development expertise

Education

Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM

Job description

Company Overview

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 1,200+ 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.

Engineering Manager – First Level

We are looking for engineering managers who are outstanding developers themselves, comfortable reviewing patches or design specifications, and who can bring engineering talent together to deliver great products. An engineering manager is responsible for line management and career guidance, talent development, team representation, and collaboration with other teams and customers.

Domain Expertise We Open For

• Python and Golang
• C / C++ / Rust
• Data infrastructure
• HTML / CSS / JavaScript / Typescript / React
• Flutter
• Distro packaging and systems
• SAAS and web microservices
• Kernel
• Servers
• Graphics, Browser and Desktop
• Silicon enablement and embedded devices
• Product Security

Location

We have engineering management positions open in every time zone.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and develop a team of engineers, ranging from graduate to senior
• Work remotely in a single major time zone, sometimes two
• Coach, mentor, and offer career development feedback
• Identify and measure team health indicators
• Implement disciplined engineering processes
• Represent your team and product to stakeholders, partners, and customers
• Develop and evangelise great engineering and organisational practices
• Plan and manage progress on agreed goals and projects
• Be an active part of the leadership team, collaborating with other leaders

What We’re Looking For In You

• An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or a compelling narrative about your alternative path
• Drive and a track record of going above and beyond expectations
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• A love of developing and growing people and a track record of it
• Experience in leading, coaching, and mentoring software developers
• Organised and able to ensure your team delivers timely, high‑quality results
• Well‑organised, self‑starting, and able to deliver to schedule
• Professional manner of interacting with colleagues, partners, and the community
• You have advanced expertise in your domain
• You are knowledgeable and passionate about software development
• You have solid experience working in an agile development environment
• You have a demonstrated drive for continual learning
• Builds trust, relationships, and confidence
• Result‑oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each

Additional Skills We Value

• Experience in a developer advocacy or community role
• Ops and system administration experience
• Performance engineering and security experience

What We Offer Colleagues

• 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 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.