Software Engineering Manager, Ubuntu Gaming

Canonical; Columbus (OH); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Software Engineering Manager to enhance the gaming experience on Ubuntu. This pivotal role involves leading a team to optimize performance, manage projects, and collaborate with upstream partners like Proton and Unity. As gaming on Linux evolves, your contributions will be vital in ensuring a first-class experience for users. The company offers a distributed work environment with opportunities for travel and professional development, making it an exciting time to join a forward-thinking organization that values innovation and teamwork.

Benefits

Annual learning and development budget of USD 2,000

Generous holiday, maternity, and paternity leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Opportunities for travel and company events

Biannual in-person team sprints

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience in a technical field.
• Proven ability to manage software projects and collaborate with partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead team in optimizing the Ubuntu gaming experience.
• Manage project timelines and conduct code reviews.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and upstream projects.

Skills

Linux graphics stack

Software project management

Collaboration with upstream projects

Communication skills

Planning skills

Education

Undergraduate degree in a technical subject

Job description

Software Engineering Manager, Ubuntu Gaming

Join to apply for the Software Engineering Manager, Ubuntu Gaming 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 leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders across sectors. We are a pioneer in global distributed collaboration, with 1100+ colleagues in 75+ countries and few office-based roles. Teams meet in person two to four times yearly in interesting locations worldwide to align on strategy and execution.

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

As the Software Engineering Manager for Ubuntu Gaming, your mission is to make gaming on Ubuntu first-class. In this exciting time for Linux gaming, compatibility tools like Proton have matured, but a well-rounded gaming experience requires maximizing performance, robust anti-cheat mechanisms, full device support, and ease of content creation, sharing, and discovery. By collaborating with open-source projects and partners, you'll contribute to Ubuntu and the wider Linux gaming ecosystem.

Location: This role is remote, based in the Americas or EMEA region.

Responsibilities

• Lead your team in optimizing and expanding the Ubuntu gaming experience, focusing on the Steam Snap.
• Manage project timelines, balancing feature improvements with deadlines.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align your team's work with other teams and company objectives.
• Conduct code reviews focusing on quality, performance, and modern design principles.
• Collaborate with upstream projects like Proton and partners like Unity to enhance Ubuntu's gaming capabilities.
• Work closely with other teams to ensure a cohesive Ubuntu experience.
• Drive performance improvements across various hardware.
• Engage actively with the open-source and gaming communities for feedback and collaboration.

Qualifications

• An undergraduate degree in a technical subject or equivalent experience.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with upstream projects and partners.
• Experience with the Linux graphics stack, from user-space components to kernel drivers.
• Exceptional software project management skills, including risk assessment and resource allocation.
• Ability to balance technical leadership with team management.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong planning skills for managing multi-cycle improvements.
• Ability to travel twice a year for company events, up to two weeks each time.

Nice-to-have skills

• A passion for technology and gaming.
• Initiative in identifying opportunities and solving challenges.
• Curiosity, flexibility, and accountability.
• Soft skills such as passion, enterprise, and self-motivation.

Benefits

• Distributed work environment with biannual in-person team sprints.
• Annual learning and development budget of USD 2,000.
• Annual compensation review and recognition rewards.
• Generous holiday, maternity, and paternity leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Opportunities for travel and company events.

About Canonical

Canonical pioneers open source, publishing Ubuntu, a key platform for AI, IoT, and cloud. We set high standards for excellence and operate a largely remote workforce since 2004. Working here challenges you to think differently, learn new skills, and excel.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to fair consideration of all applications.