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 1200 colleagues across 75+ countries with minimal office-based roles. Teams connect through 2-4 annual in-person meetings in inspiring global locations to drive strategy and execution. Founder-led and profitable, Canonical serves top public cloud providers, silicon manufacturers, and industry leaders, delivering mission-critical open source solutions.

Role Overview

Canonical seeks an Engineering Manager for Identity and Access Management (IAM) to lead the development of secure, high-performance Go and Python services. Your team's solutions will underpin access for Ubuntu One SSO, Juju, LXD, and MAAS, defining how millions of users, clients, and community members interact with Canonical's open source ecosystem. This remote role in the Americas offers a chance to shape the future of identity management in distributed systems, working on bare metal, public cloud, and Kubernetes environments. While IAM experience is desirable, it's not required—bring your expertise in software engineering, Kubernetes, and team leadership to transform Canonical's identity infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

As Engineering Manager, you'll wear multiple hats in a hands-on environment. Define the technical vision alongside product management, prioritize the team backlog, and deliver robust IAM solutions. Design complex distributed systems, write production-grade Go and Python code, author comprehensive tests, and conduct insightful code reviews. Mentor junior engineers, foster high performance, and troubleshoot production issues. Collaborate with internal teams leveraging Canonical's observability stack and rock-solid data stores. Engage with upstream open source projects, hackfests, webinars, and conferences to ensure your work sets industry standards in security, performance, and scalability.

Team Leadership

Hire and grow a high-performing engineering team focused on IAM excellence. Coach members on best practices in software design, security, and distributed operations.

Technical Delivery

Implement services deployed across Canonical products, emphasizing Kubernetes-native architectures and zero-trust security principles.

Qualifications & Requirements

Canonical looks for proven leaders with deep technical roots. Essential qualifications include experience hiring and leading high-performance software teams, hands-on Go and Python development, designing/implementing complex distributed systems, Kubernetes/container expertise, and strong grasp of software/infrastructure security and performance. Experience with large-scale distributed systems is key. Desirable: knowledge of IAM technologies and standards.

• Exceptional academic record from high school and university
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field (or compelling self-taught narrative)
• Fluent professional English with outstanding presentation and interpersonal skills
• Curiosity-driven mindset for open source innovation

Benefits & Perks

Joining Canonical means embracing a remote-first culture with unparalleled flexibility. Work from home in the Americas while contributing to global projects. Enjoy competitive compensation, comprehensive health benefits, and professional development stipends. Participate in worldwide team offsites in vibrant locations. Access cutting-edge tools, unlimited PTO in many regions, and equity in a growing enterprise. Canonical invests in your growth through conferences, certifications, and mentorship from industry experts.

Career Growth

At Canonical, engineering managers advance rapidly in a merit-based, distributed model. Lead larger teams, influence product roadmaps, or transition to principal engineering roles. Your work on Ubuntu's IAM stack positions you as a thought leader in open source security. Canonical's commitment to upstream contributions and community events accelerates visibility and expertise, opening doors to speaking opportunities and collaborations with Fortune 500 clients.

Why Join Canonical

Canonical stands at the forefront of open source, powering hyperscale clouds and edge computing with Ubuntu. As an Engineering Manager for IAM, you'll impact billions through secure access to tools like Juju for orchestration, LXD for containers, and MAAS for metal-as-a-service. Thrive in a collaborative, innovative culture where your code ships to production daily, backed by world-class observability. In a remote-first world, Canonical exemplifies profitable growth without bureaucracy, offering purpose-driven work on transformative technologies.

Role FAQs

Is IAM experience required?

No, while desirable, we prioritize strong software engineering, distributed systems, and leadership skills. We'll provide context on IAM standards.

What does the day-to-day look like?

Balance coding (30-50%), team management, design discussions, reviews, and cross-team collaboration. Asynchronous work respects global timezones.

How remote is this role?

Fully remote in Americas; expect 2-4 annual in-person team events.

What tech stack will I use?

Go/Python services on Kubernetes, with PostgreSQL/observability tools. Focus on secure, scalable distributed systems.

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