Staff Engineer
Job Description
About the Role
Location: Home based – Worldwide
Category: Engineering
Job Description:
This is a general track for Staff Engineer or above in any team at Canonical. After the first round of interviews we will establish which teams might be an excellent fit, and progress your application with them.
Canonical delivers open source to the world across every class of compute. Canonical Ubuntu is the worlds favourite Linux for cloud, desktop and IoT. Our engineering teams work on operating systems, programming languages, applications, devices, infrastructure and services. We work in Golang, Python, C, C++, and Rust for system services, and use React and Flutter on the front end.
In our levelling framework, a Staff Engineer is not only an outstanding software architect and coder, they also demonstrate the leadership qualities needed to work across teams and products, enabling others to create outstanding technologies and communities. A Staff Engineer partners with an Engineering Director, who is also code-capable, and together they take responsibility for product outcomes. We hire based on academic results and proven product execution, and we select those with a passion for open-source software, innovation, and cutting-edge technology. In this role, you will make a significant contribution in Canonical’s portfolio through high-quality code, technical leadership, team motivation and direction, exceptional design, and crisp documentation.
As a Staff Engineer you’ll drive the architecture, design and evolution of high-impact open source. Our teams work at every level of the stack. From the kernel and system software at the core of Ubuntu through to major language runtimes and the bleeding-edge of cloud automation and distributed systems, you’ll have the opportunity to work on complex but highly rewarding projects. Our teams also build the services which deliver Ubuntu to the world, on cloud, devices, servers and PCs.
Additionally, this role will give you the opportunity to engage with the broader open-source community. We’re looking for individuals who can help build a thriving community, contribute to a broad range of technologies, and ensure seamless software operations at scale.
Location: we have remote opportunities for Staff Engineers in every time zone.
What your day will look like
Lead design and architecture of an impactful open source project
Code in Golang, Rust, Python, C/C++ or Typescript / React
Collaborate proactively with a globally distributed team
Mentor, develop and advise colleagues in their career progression
Display technical leadership in Canonical and our communities
Debug issues and produce high-quality code to fix them
Contribute to technical documentation with the aim to make it the best of its kind
Work from home with global travel twice annually for company events
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
Drive and a track record of going above-and-beyond expectations
Technical leadership as well as team motivation, direction and pace
Well-organised, self-starting and able to deliver to schedule
Professional manner interacting with colleagues, partners, and community
Deep experience with at least one of Go, Rust, Python or C
Subject matter expertise in your engineering domain
Conscientiousness and detail orientation, with a focus on performance
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
Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each
Additional skills that you might also bring
Experience with container technologies such as LXD, Docker and Kubernetes
Experience with highly concurrent, distributed systems
Experience with embedded systems
Performance engineering from kernel to web benchmarks, optimisation
Experience with software security fuzzing, tabletop threat models, analysis, audit
Experience build systems and toolchains, including for cross-compilation
Experience with public clouds or OpenStack
Experience with Debian/Ubuntu packaging
Experience with systems programming or scalable web services
Deep quality and test engineering
Web or Flutter front-end experience
REST and gRPC API experience
SQL and NoSQL data store expertise
Experience with public clouds or OpenStack
Experience with Debian/Ubuntu packaging
Experience with systems programming or scalable web services
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 recognise 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 globally 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
We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.
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