Software Engineering Manager - Sustaining Engineering

Canonical; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Software Engineering Manager for Sustaining Engineering. This role is pivotal in enhancing open source software by addressing customer-reported defects. You'll lead a talented team, fostering growth and collaboration while influencing culture and technical delivery. With a strong focus on Linux and cloud computing, this position offers the chance to make significant contributions to the open source community. If you're passionate about software development and leadership, this opportunity promises a rewarding career path with a global team.

Benefits

Annual learning and development budget

Biannual in-person team sprints

Recognition rewards

Holiday leave

Maternity/paternity leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Travel opportunities

Travel upgrades for company events

Qualifications

• Experience in software delivery using languages like C, C++, Go, or Python.
• Leadership experience in managing teams and resolving issues.

Responsibilities

• Manage and lead a distributed team of engineers.
• Support timely delivery of bug fixes and solutions across various technologies.

Skills

C

C++

Go

Python

Leadership

Version Control (git)

Debugging (gdb, crash)

Linux (Ubuntu)

Open Source Knowledge

Communication Skills

Tools

git

gdb

Ubuntu

Job description

Software Engineering Manager - Sustaining Engineering

Join to apply for the Software Engineering Manager - Sustaining Engineering role at Canonical.

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 enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include top public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders across sectors. We are a pioneer in global distributed collaboration, with over 1100 colleagues in 75+ countries, and few roles are office-based. Teams meet 2-4 times yearly in interesting locations worldwide to align on strategy and execution.

The company is founder-led, profitable, and growing.

We are hiring a Software Engineering Manager for Sustaining Engineering, passionate about open source software, Linux, and cloud computing. Join us at Canonical to build a rewarding and meaningful career working with top talent in technology.

Sustaining Engineering is a critical team that improves open source software by resolving defects reported by customers. The software stack includes everything from the kernel to user space applications and IaaS platforms. This position leads a regional team and reports directly to the global Director of Sustaining Engineering.

Our customers build large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure on Ubuntu and open source. While not actively developing products, Sustaining Engineering solves problems for customers and benefits the wider open source community. The team is well-staffed with experts across time zones, ensuring good work-life balance and ongoing development.

As a manager, your primary responsibility is to support your team: ensuring their growth, valuable contributions, and a positive experience at Canonical. You should have a solid background in software development to help your team grow professionally. You will influence culture, facilitate technical delivery, and work on strategy and execution.

Location: This is a globally remote role unless specified otherwise.

Role responsibilities

• Manage and lead a distributed team of engineers
• Hire, coach, mentor, and provide career guidance
• Manage KPIs and training
• Support timely delivery of bug fixes, patches, and solutions across various technologies including Ubuntu, OpenStack, Ceph, Kubernetes, Juju, and MAAS
• Demonstrate Canonical's best in customer interactions
• Set expectations with engineering teams, management, and stakeholders
• Promote modern software development practices
• Cultivate a healthy, collaborative engineering culture
• Collaborate across teams
• Work from home with up to 10% global travel for events

Candidate requirements

• Experience in software delivery using C, C++, Go, Python, or similar
• Passion for software development
• Leadership experience in problem resolution and bug fixes
• Experience with version control systems like git
• Experience with debugging tools such as gdb or crash
• Strong commitment to testing and maintainable code
• Excellent English communication skills
• Experience with Linux, especially Ubuntu
• Familiarity with Open Source and its business models
• People management experience in support organizations is a plus

What we offer

• Distributed work environment with biannual in-person team sprints
• USD 2,000 annual learning and development budget
• Annual compensation review
• Recognition rewards, holiday leave, maternity/paternity leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Travel opportunities to meet colleagues
• Travel upgrades for company events

About Canonical

Canonical pioneers open source, publishing Ubuntu, a key platform for AI, IoT, and cloud. We hire globally and set high standards for our team. Working remotely since 2004, we challenge you to think differently, learn new skills, and excel.

We are an equal opportunity employer, valuing diversity and inclusivity.

Additional info

• Senior level: Mid-Senior
• Employment type: Full-time
• Job function: Engineering and IT
• Industry: Software Development