Engineering Manager at Canonical - Remote EMEA & Americas

Job4Travelers; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote working environment

Learning budget • $2,000 USD/year

Annual compensation review

Priority Pass and travel upgrades for/

Job summary

Canonical is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead teams focused on Big Data and MySQL databases. The role blends hands-on coding in Python with leadership, operating across EMEA and the Americas in a fully remote setting.

You will influence engineering practices, mentor teams, and drive scalable data platforms using Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure. The role emphasizes an async-first culture, travel for sprints, and a geo-adjusted compensation approach.

Qualifications

• Experience with Python and Golang in production at scale.
• Strong background in Big Data or MySQL.
• Proven ability to build high-quality/open-source software.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team building scalable data solutions for Kubernetes and cloud machines.
• Hire, coach, mentor, and lead by example.
• Contribute code when needed and set expectations across teams.
• Develop and evangelize engineering practices and culture.
• Ensure high-quality products and strong engineering standards.

Skills

Python

Golang

Big Data

MySQL

Kubernetes

Open source

Tools

Spark

Superset

Kubernetes

Job description

Engineering Manager at Canonical - Remote EMEA & Americas — Remote

Canonical is one of the most nomad-friendly employers in tech, having operated fully remote since 2004. This Engineering Manager role explicitly covers EMEA and all American time zones, giving you enormous geographic flexibility — you could be based in Lisbon, Medellín, Tbilisi, or Cape Town without any issue.

Schedule flexibility: While the role involves managing global teams, Canonical's long-standing async-first culture means you won't be chained to a single timezone's core hours. However, as an Engineering Manager, expect some overlap with your team's working hours for 1:1s and team syncs.

Visa considerations: With no country restriction beyond EMEA and the Americas, popular nomad visa destinations are wide open:

• Portugal (D8 Digital Nomad Visa) — fits EMEA eligibility; Lisbon living costs ~$1,800–2,500/month

Travel perks are a standout: Canonical offers twice-yearly global sprints (1–2 weeks each), and crucially provides a Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events — a real perk for frequent travelers. The $2,000/year learning budget can also fund certifications useful for nomad life (cloud, Kubernetes). No coworking stipend is mentioned explicitly, but the remote setup is mature and well-supported.

Canonical is building a comprehensive suite of multi-cloud and on-premise data solutions for the enterprise. We want to make it easy to operate any database on any cloud, or on premise. The data platform team covers the full range of data stores and data technologies, spanning from big data, NoSQL, cache-layer capabilities, and analytics — all the way to structured SQL engines like Postgres and MySQL. We aim to deliver fault-tolerant mission-critical distributed systems, and the world's best data platform.

We are looking for technical Engineering Managers to lead teams focused on Big Data and MySQL databases. We write code in Python and encode modern operational practices for data applications at scale on Kubernetes and cloud machines.

Learn more

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Learn more

Location: This role can be filled in European, Middle East, African or any American region / time zone.

What your day will look like

• You will lead a team building scalable data solutions for Kubernetes and cloud machines
• You will hire, coach, mentor, provide feedback, and lead your team by example
• You will demonstrate sound engineering skill by directly contributing code when needed
• Effectively set and manage expectations with other engineering teams, senior management, and external stakeholders
• Develop and evangelize great engineering and organizational practices
• Ensure that your team delivers excellent products that users love by maintaining a culture of quality and engineering excellence
• Grow a healthy, collaborative engineering culture aligned with the company's values
• Be an active part of the leadership team and collaborate with other leaders in the organization
• Work from home with global travel twice yearly, for internal events of one or two weeks duration

What we are looking for in you

• A software engineering background, preferably with Python and Golang experience
• Experience running in production and at scale, preferably Big Data or MySQL
• Excellent judgement about people — their motivations, abilities, developmental needs, and prospects for success
• Proven ability to build high-quality, open-source software
• Proven ability to drive good engineering practices around performance and quality
• An open-minded attitude to new technologies and the drive to push the boundaries of what is possible
• The ambition to build products that improve how people operate software and infrastructure everywhere
• Love developing and growing people and have a track record of doing it
• Knowledgeable and passionate about software development

Additional skills that you might also bring

• Specialist knowledge in one or more of Spark, Superset, MySQL, or similar
• Prior experience working with open source and a will to build products with the community

What we offer you

Your base pay will depend on various factors including your geographical location, level of experience, knowledge and skills. In addition to the benefits above, certain roles are also eligible for additional benefits and rewards including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on revenue or utilisation. Our compensation philosophy is to ensure equity right across our global workforce.

In addition to a competitive base pay, we provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. Please note that additional benefits may apply depending on the work location and, for more information on these, please ask your Talent Partner.

• Fully remote working environment — we've been working remotely since 2004!
• Personal learning and development budget of $2,000 USD per annum
• Annual compensation review
• Recognition rewards
• Annual holiday leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues at 'sprints'
• Priority Pass for travel 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. Work at Canonical is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game. Canonical provides a unique window into the world of 21st-century digital business.

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.

Is this Engineering Manager role truly fully remote? Yes. Canonical has operated as a fully remote company since 2004. The role supports EMEA and all American time zones, with no requirement to be based in a specific office. You will travel twice yearly for internal sprint events of one to two weeks. What time zones are accepted for this role? The role is open to candidates in European, Middle Eastern, African, and any American region or time zone. This covers a very wide geographic range across both hemispheres. Does the role require writing code, or is it purely management? It is a hybrid "player-coach" position. You are expected to directly contribute code when needed, demonstrating sound engineering skills, while also leading, hiring, mentoring, and managing the team. What databases and technologies will my team focus on? Teams focus on Big Data and MySQL databases, with additional context around Spark, Superset, Kubernetes, and cloud-native infrastructure. Python is the primary coding language used by the team. Is there a published salary range for this position? Canonical does not state a specific salary range in this posting. Compensation is geo-adjusted based on your location, experience, and skills, with an annual review process and eligibility for additional bonuses and recognition rewards.

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