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CanonicalSoftware Engineering Manager (Backend SaaS)
Canonical needs a leader for the Landscape rebuild: an Engineering Manager, its systems management product for Ubuntu. Ubuntu is spreading through enterprise estates that span cloud,…
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About This Role
Canonical needs a leader for the Landscape rebuild: an Engineering Manager, its systems management product for Ubuntu. Ubuntu is spreading through enterprise estates that span cloud, bare-metal servers, vSphere clusters and desktops, and organisations struggle to keep policy, compliance, patching and access control consistent. Landscape already serves thousands of deployments, so this is a major rebuild of an existing service, not a greenfield project. The manager builds and leads a…
Job Description
Canonical needs a leader for the Landscape rebuild: an Engineering Manager, its systems management product for Ubuntu. Ubuntu is spreading through enterprise estates that span cloud, bare-metal servers, vSphere clusters and desktops, and organisations struggle to keep policy, compliance, patching and access control consistent. Landscape already serves thousands of deployments, so this is a major rebuild of an existing service, not a greenfield project.
The manager builds and leads a team of engineers in their region, and produces an engineering roadmap with product managers that sets ambitious but achievable targets. Work includes building automated, dependable pipelines to deliver, test and publish images, and collaborating with engineering and business teams. The long-term aim is to let enterprises run a few Landscape instances that cover their global estate, so policy and status can be seen across mixed Ubuntu versions and environments. The role is remote, with 4 to 6 weeks of global travel each year.
Landscape is built mainly in Python, using PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ and HAProxy with a ReactJS front end, while other web services increasingly use Golang. The manager must be fluent in the languages and architecture the team uses, and should take part in code reviews and architectural decisions. Technical leadership and software engineering experience are required, along with a love of developing people and familiarity with agile methods. Candidates need a degree-level study in computing, a STEM subject or a closely related area.
Canonical is a global software company behind Ubuntu, with more than 1,000 colleagues in over 70 countries. The company has been remote-first since 2004.
Responsibilities
- Assemble and direct a group of engineers in your area
- Grow people through coaching, mentoring, feedback and career development
- Apply solid engineering principles and contribute directly to the team's targets
- Clarify what engineering peers, managers and outside partners should expect
- Drive agile software development practice
- Build automated, dependable pipelines for delivering, testing and publishing images
- Work with other Canonical groups, open-source contributors and vendor partners
- Play an active part in the leadership group
Requirements
- Technical leadership experience and a software engineering background
- Coding background in Python or Golang
- Command of the languages, design and components the team relies on
- Experience with, and commitment to, agile development methods
- Effective written and verbal communication
- Practical Linux system administration experience
- Readiness to spend four to six weeks a year on trips to in-house and outside events
Qualifications
- Degree-level study in computing, a STEM subject or a closely related area
- Track record of mentoring and developing people
Core Skills
Benefits
- Remote working, with in-person team sprints twice a year
- USD 2,000 yearly budget for learning and development
- Yearly pay review and recognition awards
- Annual holiday leave, plus maternity and paternity leave
- Employee assistance and wellness programme
- Opportunities to visit new cities to meet colleagues
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
What is the team working on?
The team is rebuilding Landscape, Canonical's systems management product for Ubuntu, to serve large estates more effectively.
What languages and tools does the team use?
The posting mentions Python, PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ, HAProxy and a ReactJS front end, with Golang used more in other web services.
How much travel is required?
The posting mentions worldwide trips totalling four to six weeks a year for in-house and outside events.
Does the posting state a salary?
No salary figure is given. Base pay depends on location, experience and performance.
Sample Interview Questions
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