About Canonical

Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu, the world's leading open source operating system powering enterprise cloud, AI, data science, IoT, and innovation initiatives. As a pioneer in global distributed collaboration, Canonical employs over 1000 colleagues across 70+ countries with very few office-based roles. Teams align on strategy through in-person meetings 2-4 times yearly in exciting global locations. Founder-led and profitable, Canonical invests heavily in open source technologies shaping modern cloud infrastructure.

Role Overview

As a Containerization & Virtualisation Engineer at Canonical, you'll drive next-generation open source projects in virtual machines, containers, networking, and storage. Focus areas include RustVMM for high-performance hypervisors, elevated Docker images via Rockcraft, LXD for system containers and VMs, MicroK8s and Charmed Kubernetes, plus OpenStack, OVN, OVS, and Ceph. This remote role suits exceptional engineers proficient in Go, Rust, or C/C++, passionate about kernel-level systems, security, and performance in Linux environments.

Key Projects

Canonical's teams tackle critical challenges: building RustVMM with emphasis on performance, security, and operability; improving Docker image quality and security; advancing LXD across kernel namespaces, confinement, filesystems, VMMs, and APIs; developing Kubernetes operations tooling; and delivering charmed cloud platforms for large-scale computing.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you'll design and specify features, building consensus across distributed teams. Engage with upstream communities, conduct defence-in-depth security reviews, and create performance benchmarks. Write and review high-quality code to implement features, debug issues, and optimise products. Proactively collaborate globally, discuss ideas, and ensure mission-critical code impacts cloud technologies.

Qualifications & Requirements

Canonical seeks engineers with an exceptional academic track record from high school and university, ideally an undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM. Demonstrate drive through going above-and-beyond, with hands-on experience in open source virtualisation or container tech, plus kernel or low-level system work. Proficiency in Linux (Debian/Ubuntu preferred), professional English, excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, accountability, and self-motivation are essential. Strong communication, result-orientation, and willingness to travel twice yearly for up to two weeks each time are required.

Valued Additional Skills

Performance engineering and security experience will set you apart, enhancing your contributions to Canonical's high-stakes projects.

Benefits & Perks

Enjoy fully remote work in every time zone, competitive salary reflecting experience and global rates, and collaboration with world-class talent. Benefit from Canonical's remote-first culture, meaningful work on Ubuntu and open source leaders, professional growth opportunities, and global meetups. As a growing, profitable company, Canonical offers stability and impact in cloud-native technologies.

Career Growth

Canonical fosters career advancement through hands-on open source contributions, leadership in upstream communities, and exposure to enterprise-scale projects. Engineers progress by owning features, mentoring peers, and influencing technologies like Kubernetes and OpenStack used by top cloud providers. Continuous learning in Rust, Go, C/C++, security, and performance is encouraged, with global visibility amplifying your expertise.

Why Join Canonical

Join a remote-first innovator shaping Ubuntu's role in public cloud, AI, and IoT. Work on security-critical, performance-critical code with real-world impact alongside silicon leaders and industry pioneers. Canonical's distributed model offers work-life balance, while its commitment to open source ensures your contributions endure. Be part of a passionate, thoughtful team delivering breakthrough infrastructure.

Role FAQs

Is this role fully remote?

Yes, available worldwide in every time zone, with occasional travel for team events.

What programming languages are used?

Primarily Go, Rust, C/C++, with Python for some tooling.

Do I need open source experience?

Yes, track record in virt/container open source projects is key.

How does Canonical support professional growth?

Through upstream engagement, code reviews, benchmarks, and global collaboration on high-impact projects.

This role offers a premium opportunity to advance containerization and virtualisation at Canonical, the heartbeat of Ubuntu Linux.