Security Software Engineer

Canonical Group Ltd; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Distributed work environment

Learning budget USD 2,000 per year

Annual compensation review

Holiday leave

Maternity and paternity leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Travel to meet colleagues

Priority Pass and travel upgrades

Job summary

Canonical is seeking security-focused software engineers to join distributed product teams. Roles emphasize threat modeling, static analysis, fuzzing, and open source collaboration across Ubuntu, AppArmor, USG, and related projects.

We operate globally with remote-first teams, travel for in-person alignment, and a strong emphasis on security culture. You will work with diverse partners and contribute to the security posture of the Ubuntu ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Solid understanding of common security vulnerabilities.
• Experience driving security within an SSDLC process.
• Proficient in English, written and spoken.
• Experience with Linux (Debian/Ubuntu preferred).
• Strong collaboration across teams and domains.

Responsibilities

• Define, implement, and document new security features.
• Lead security-focused initiatives within a product engineering team.
• Analyze, fix, and test vulnerabilities in open source software.
• Contribute to Ubuntu and upstream projects for the community.
• Audit and analyze source code for vulnerabilities.
• Integrate new tools into security infra, pipelines, and processes.
• Achieve and retain security certifications.
• Extend Linux cryptographic components for compliance.
• Collaborate with external partners on CIS benchmarks.
• Design and develop hardening automation for Ubuntu.
• Stay updated on security industry trends.
• Develop, test, and maintain security capabilities.
• Provide guidance to other teams on security best practices.

Skills

Security engineering

Threat modeling

Open source

Ubuntu/Linux

English communication

SSDLC

Kernel experience

Education

Undergraduate CS/STEM

Tools

Static analysis tools

Fuzzing

CI/CD pipelines

Linux tooling

Job description

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 1200+ 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.

Canonical is looking for exceptional security-focused software engineers to be integrated across product teams. While they also contribute to the product as engineers, their primary focus is to challenge the entire team to think more deeply about security through state-of-the-art practices such as threat modeling, table-top exercises, architecture and design reviews, static analysis tools, and fuzzing, among others.

These roles encompass all aspects of product security, including feature development, vulnerability response, proactive security, and open source community participation. Engineers in these roles collaborate closely with other Canonical teams, customers, and partners across the open source ecosystem.

Each product engineering team at Canonical reserves one or two openings for security-oriented software engineers. We also develop a number of products driven entirely by security needs, such as our AppArmor kernel investments and the Ubuntu Security Guide (USG).As the publisher of Ubuntu, we also handle long-term security response for the entire operating system and open source ecosystem. Working with tens of thousands of upstreams means that we need to be fluent in every major programming language and design, build, and adopt sophisticated tools that enable us to work at scale and speed with confidence.

This role requires the ability to be productive in a globally distributed team through strong self-discipline and motivation. It also involves mandatory international travel at least twice a year, typically for one week.

Location: Worldwide, this is a globally remote role

What you'll do

• Define, implement, and document new security features
• Lead security-focused initiatives within a product engineering team
• Analyze, fix, and test vulnerabilities in open source software
• Contribute to Ubuntu and upstream open source projects to benefit the community
• Audit and analyze source code for vulnerabilities
• Integrate new tools into our security infrastructure, pipelines, and processes
• Achieve and retain various security certifications
• Extend and enhance Linux cryptographic components to meet country-specific compliance requirements, such as FIPS and Common Criteria (CC) certifications
• Work with external partners to develop Center for Internet Security (CIS) benchmarks
• Design and develop hardening automation for Ubuntu
• Stay up to date with trends and developments in the security industry
• Develop, test, and maintain new software capabilities
• Provide guidance and support to other engineering teams on security best practices

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
• A track record of going above and beyond expectations
• Thorough understanding of the common categories of security vulnerabilities and how to fix them
• Knowledge of modern software engineering techniques
• Familiarity with open source development tools and methodologies
• Experience as a security champion
• Experience driving security within a wider SSDLC process
• Professional written and spoken English
• Experience with Linux (Debian or Ubuntu preferred)
• Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability
• Passion, thoughtfulness, and self-motivation
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Results-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments

Optional skills we also value

• Clear and effective communication with both the team and Ubuntu community members
• Experience working with the Linux kernel
• Experience with security certifications and knowledge of FIPS and/or Common Criteria (CC)
• Experience with OVAL (Open Vulnerability Assessment Language)
• Knowledge of cryptographic modules such as OpenSSL and Libgcrypt
• Knowledge of low-level Linux cryptography APIs
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly
• Performance engineering experience

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 recognize 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