About Canonical

Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu, the world's most popular open source operating system powering enterprise cloud, AI, data science, and IoT initiatives globally. As a pioneer in open source software, Canonical serves leading public cloud providers, silicon manufacturers, and industry innovators. With over 1200 colleagues across 75+ countries, Canonical embodies a truly remote-first culture, minimizing office-based roles and maximizing global collaboration. Teams connect through 2-4 annual in-person meetings in inspiring global locations to drive strategy and execution. Founder-led and profitable, Canonical continues to grow while advancing open source innovation.

Role Overview

Canonical seeks a Distributed Systems Testing Software Engineer proficient in Python and Go to elevate the reliability of its cloud solutions. This role focuses on building and validating resilient distributed systems using Ubuntu and Juju for multi-cloud deployments. As part of the Distributed Systems testing team, you'll ensure high-quality testing across diverse environments—from bare metal in data centers to AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and beyond. Dive into CI pipelines, AI/ML-driven test analysis, and cloud-native products like OpenStack, Kubernetes, and Kubeflow. Bring engineering rigor and data-driven insights to quality engineering, enabling Canonical's products to scale confidently in enterprise settings.

Impact on Canonical's Mission

Your work directly supports Canonical's cloud orchestration tools, empowering developers worldwide to deploy robust applications. Tackle challenges in performance, resilience, and automation while pioneering new testing initiatives across the company.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you'll drive quality engineering excellence through hands-on development and collaboration:

• Design and implement automated testing infrastructure to validate reliability, performance, and resilience of cloud orchestration tools like Juju and Terraform.
• Provide distributed systems testing tooling to Canonical engineering teams, fostering confident software development.
• Optimize continuous integration pipelines for deploying and testing cloud-native solutions such as Kubeflow on multiple clouds.
• Deploy, manage, and debug complex distributed systems across bare metal and public cloud environments.
• Develop monitoring and reporting systems for automated testing, leveraging data analytics for actionable insights.
• Collaborate daily with a globally distributed team, contributing to strategic initiatives in testing and cloud integration.

Qualifications & Requirements

Canonical looks for engineers who combine deep technical expertise with innovative problem-solving:

• Solid foundation in modern test processes, strategies, and automation.
• Hands-on experience developing in Python or Go, with strong object-oriented programming skills.
• Proficiency with CI/CD tools including Jenkins, CircleCI, and GitHub Actions.
• Strong knowledge of networking fundamentals and Linux system architecture.
• Ability to engage in complex abstract thinking to solve distributed systems challenges.
• Willingness to travel internationally 2-4 weeks per year for team alignment.

Nice-to-Have Skills

Stand out with experience in production web applications, data platforms (key-value stores, databases, event buses), large-scale data analytics, or AI/ML pipelines.

Benefits & Perks

Joining Canonical means embracing a premium remote work lifestyle with unparalleled opportunities:

• 100% remote, home-based role anywhere worldwide—no office required.
• Competitive compensation reflecting global tech standards.
• Work on transformative open source projects impacting millions of Ubuntu users.
• Global team environment with diverse colleagues and cultures.
• Annual travel to exciting locations for in-person team summits.
• Access to cutting-edge tools, clouds, and AI/ML technologies.
• Profitable, growing company with long-term stability and founder leadership.

Career Growth

At Canonical, career progression is driven by impact, not hierarchy. As a Distributed Systems Testing Engineer, you'll lead initiatives, mentor peers, and shape Canonical's testing strategy. Opportunities abound to expand into AI/ML, cloud architecture, or product leadership. With a commitment to open source, your contributions gain global visibility, accelerating professional growth in a collaborative, innovative culture.

Why Join Canonical

Canonical stands at the forefront of open source, powering Ubuntu across public clouds, edge computing, and enterprise AI. This role offers the chance to build resilient systems that enterprises rely on, within a remote-first company that values engineering excellence. Contribute to Juju, Kubernetes integrations, and beyond, while enjoying work-life balance and global impact. If you thrive on distributed systems challenges and data-driven quality engineering, Canonical is your platform for meaningful innovation.

Role FAQs

Q: Is this role fully remote? Yes, it's home-based worldwide with minimal travel (2-4 weeks/year).

Q: What technologies will I work with? Primarily Python/Go, Juju, Kubernetes, OpenStack, CI tools, and cloud platforms like AWS/Azure/GCE.

Q: What's the team structure? Globally distributed, collaborative daily via modern tools, with periodic in-person meetings.

Q: Do I need prior Canonical experience? No—strong testing, Linux, and distributed systems skills are key.

Q: How does Canonical support professional development? Through challenging projects, global exposure, and open source contributions that build your expertise.