Engineering Manager - AppArmor

Canonical; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus program

Learning & development budget ($2,000)

Annual compensation review

Employee Assistance Programme

Travel opportunities for events

Remote-first company culture

Job summary

Canonical is seeking a Security Engineering Manager to lead and grow a team of security engineers working on Ubuntu, AppArmor, and related security features. You will collaborate with community, customers, and multiple engineering teams to strengthen security and drive innovation.

The role emphasizes leadership, security expertise, and cross-team coordination. You will guide talent development, set engineering practices, and contribute to strategic security initiatives while maintaining a

Qualifications

• Exceptional academic track record from high school and university.
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or an equivalent practical path.
• Excellent verbal and written communication in English.
• Proven ability to develop engineering talent and lead teams.
• Strong organizational skills to ensure timely, high-quality delivery.
• Proficient in C with understanding of Linux kernel development.
• Experience with Linux Security Modules and software/application security.
• Experience in agile development environments.
• Demonstrated drive for continual learning and ability to travel for events.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers from graduate to senior levels.
• Coach, mentor, and provide career development feedback.
• Identify and measure team health indicators.
• Implement disciplined engineering processes.
• Represent the team and product to stakeholders, partners, and customers.
• Develop and evangelise engineering and organizational practices.
• Plan and manage progress on goals and projects.
• Collaborate with security leadership and other teams.

Job description

As the most widely used Linux distribution, Ubuntu underpins the security of the entire internet. The role of Security Engineering Manager directly impacts the safety and security of millions of users worldwide. Join a team of security experts dedicated to protecting the open-source ecosystem and driving innovation. Your leadership will be instrumental in addressing emerging threats, developing robust security measures, and ensuring the continued integrity of Ubuntu. This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference and leave a lasting legacy on the digital landscape.

The AppArmor team's first responsibility is to develop security features and capabilities for AppArmor, the security module protecting all Ubuntu users, by providing mandatory access control to confine programs and restrict their access to system resources.Your work will improve the security of millions of people. You will engage directly with our community and customers, as well as coordinating efforts across multiple engineering teams and projects to make this happen.

An Engineering Manager is responsible for line management and career guidance. The ability to develop engineering talent, to represent your team and product from a technical perspective, and to drive collaboration with other teams and customers are all critical to success in this role.

What you will do in this role

• Lead and develop a team of engineers, ranging from graduate to senior
• 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 security engineering leadership team, collaborating with other leaders

What we are 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
• Organised and able to ensure your team delivers timely, high quality results
• Professional manner interacting with colleagues, partners, and community
• Proficient in C and have a good understanding of Linux kernel development
• Experience working with Linux Security Modules
• Knowledgeable and passionate about software and application security
• Solid experience working in an agile development environment
• 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

Optional things we value

• Good understanding of containers/packaging formats

What we offer you

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 recognise outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus. 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 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 on a daily basis. 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. Canonical has been a remote-first company 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.

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