Remote opportunity at
CanonicalTelco Field Engineering Director
Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu and a pioneer in open-source technology, seeks a Telco Field Engineering Director to lead its worldwide telecommunications field engineering operations. This…
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About This Role
Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu and a pioneer in open-source technology, seeks a Telco Field Engineering Director to lead its worldwide telecommunications field engineering operations. This remote position involves directing regional teams across APAC, EMEA, and AMER, driving presales strategies, and overseeing professional services delivery for enterprise telecommunications clients. The ideal candidate combines hands-on technical expertise with strong leadership capabilities, guiding engineers and managers while actively contributing to project execution…
Job Description
Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu and a pioneer in open-source technology, seeks a Telco Field Engineering Director to lead its worldwide telecommunications field engineering operations. This remote position involves directing regional teams across APAC, EMEA, and AMER, driving presales strategies, and overseeing professional services delivery for enterprise telecommunications clients. The ideal candidate combines hands-on technical expertise with strong leadership capabilities, guiding engineers and managers while actively contributing to project execution and client consultations.
The role requires managing team performance, establishing rigorous engineering processes, and collaborating closely with internal stakeholders and external partners. The successful leader will help communication service providers transition to software-defined services using cloud infrastructure, open-source automation, and platforms like OpenStack and Kubernetes. This position suits a technical leader who enjoys troubleshooting complex infrastructure challenges, coaching talent, and shaping the strategic trajectory of a global engineering organization.
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop managers and field engineering teams across presales and professional services
- Engage in technical presales conversations and contribute directly to project delivery to meet quarterly departmental goals
- Resolve customer issues by promoting company technologies and acting as a trusted advisor
- Coach, mentor, and provide career development feedback while monitoring team health indicators
- Implement disciplined engineering processes and evangelize strong organizational practices
- Collaborate with other company leaders as an active member of the leadership team
- Represent the team and its products to external stakeholders, partners, and customers
Requirements
- Thorough technical understanding of telecommunications NFVi, VIM, NFVO, VNFM, and MEC spaces, alongside key infrastructure technologies like CPU Pinning, NUMA, SR-IOV, and DPDK
- Familiarity with telecommunications architecture and industry standards
- Working knowledge in at least one domain including Mobile Packet Core, Private Network, RAN, Voice, IP Backbone, VAS, or OSS/BSS
- Understanding of cloud computing concepts and technologies such as Kubernetes, OpenStack, public clouds, and Ceph
- Practical knowledge of Linux and networking
- Experience in technical presales
- Track record of developing, coaching, and mentoring engineers and managers
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time for internal events, tech events, and client meetings
Qualifications
- Exceptional academic track record from high school and preferably university
- Proficiency in Python
- Fluency in a second language, preferably Spanish or French
- Experience collaborating with external partners and multiple internal teams
- Understanding of AI and machine learning concepts and applications within telecommunications environments
- Exposure to frameworks such as 3GPP, TM Forum ODA, eTOM, ETSI NFV, ONAP, or O-RAN
Core Skills
Benefits
- Performance-driven annual bonus
- Annual compensation reviews
- Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
- Recognition rewards and annual holiday leave
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Twice-yearly in-person team sprints in a distributed work environment
- Priority Pass for travel and travel upgrades for long-haul company events
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Is this position remote?
Yes, the role is home-based and operates remotely within a single major time zone, managing teams worldwide.
What is the employment type?
The posting specifies that this is a full-time position.
What is the salary for this role?
The posting does not specify a salary amount, though it notes that compensation considers geographical location, experience, and performance, and includes a performance-driven annual bonus.
Is travel required for this position?
Yes, candidates must be willing to travel up to 25% of the time to attend internal company events, external technology events, and customer meetings.
Sample Interview Questions
AI-generated questions tailored to this specific role — a preview of the full practice set.