About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering technology company at the forefront of the global shift to open source software. As the publisher of Ubuntu, one of the most influential open source projects worldwide, Canonical powers innovation in AI, IoT, public cloud, data science, and engineering. Ubuntu is the platform of choice for leading public cloud providers, silicon manufacturers, and industry leaders across sectors. With over 1200 colleagues in more than 80 countries, Canonical embodies a founder-led, profitable, and rapidly growing organization. The company champions a fully distributed, remote-first culture, with teams collaborating virtually and meeting in person two to four times a year in exciting global locations to align on strategy and execution.

Role Overview

Canonical is seeking a GitOps Engineering Manager to lead a high-performance team in advancing next-generation infrastructure operations. This role combines operations management, software engineering, product development, and team leadership in a dynamic, high-impact position. As a Linux and operations expert, you will drive Canonical's mission to pioneer model-driven operations and infra-as-code at scale. Supporting Ubuntu and Canonical's managed application services, you will automate business processes and contribute open source packages that empower others in devops and cloud-native environments. The role spans the full stack—from bare metal to Kubernetes, public cloud to private cloud and edge—within fully distributed teams across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. You will manage a timezone-aligned team and report to a global director.

Key Responsibilities

In this leadership role, you will guide your team through agile devops practices while ensuring alignment with Canonical's ambitious goals. Key responsibilities include:

• Leading daily agile devops practices and implementing structured engineering processes.
• Representing the Infrastructure Services (IS) team to stakeholders, customers, and internal groups.
• Organizing, coordinating, and driving internal projects to meet milestones and deliverables.
• Mentoring engineers to elevate their skills and tracking team health indicators.
• Ensuring team focus on priorities and delivering quality managed services consistently and on time.
• Working to uphold service level agreements for customer deployments worldwide.

Qualifications & Requirements

To succeed, you bring drive, a proven track record of exceeding expectations, and hands-on expertise in modern operations. Essential qualifications include:

• Proven experience in software delivery using infrastructure as code (IaC).
• Experience managing devops teams for SaaS or similar offerings.
• Deep understanding of testing methodologies, maintainable code quality, and complex distributed systems.
• Technical aptitude in cloud topologies, virtualization, and technologies like Kubernetes.
• Exceptional academic record from high school and university.
• Ability to travel twice yearly for up to two-week company events.

Nice-to-have skills include Ubuntu system administration, agile methodologies, and managing distributed teams, enhancing your fit in Canonical's global environment.

Benefits & Perks

Canonical offers competitive, performance-based compensation tailored to location, experience, and contributions, with annual reviews and bonuses. Beyond base pay, enjoy:

• Fully distributed work with biannual in-person sprints in inspiring locations.
• USD 2,000 annual personal learning and development budget.
• Recognition rewards, annual holiday leave, maternity/paternity leave, and Employee Assistance Program.
• Priority Pass, travel upgrades for long-haul events, and opportunities to explore new places while meeting colleagues.

These benefits reflect Canonical's commitment to fairness, local needs, and a supportive global culture.

Career Growth

At Canonical, career progression is driven by performance and impact. As GitOps Engineering Manager, you will shape cutting-edge devops practices, contribute to open source, and influence product offerings. With regular compensation reviews, learning budgets, and exposure to global projects, you will grow alongside Ubuntu's expansion in cloud, AI, and IoT. Mentorship opportunities and leadership in distributed teams prepare you for broader roles in a company that values innovation and excellence.

Why Join Canonical

Joining Canonical means contributing to Ubuntu, the open source foundation transforming enterprise technology. Thrive in a remote-first, collaborative environment where your expertise in GitOps and devops drives real-world impact. Work with top talent across time zones, pioneer infra-as-code advancements, and share your work as open source. Canonical's profitability, growth, and founder-led vision offer stability and excitement in a premium tech career.

Role FAQs

Q: Is this role fully remote? Yes, it's home-based in APAC, with occasional travel for team sprints.

Q: What time zone alignment is expected? You will lead a team in your time zone, reporting to a global director.

Q: Do I need Ubuntu experience? It's a nice-to-have; core requirements focus on devops, IaC, and team management.

Q: How is compensation structured? Base pay plus performance bonus, reviewed annually, competitive for APAC tech rates.

Q: What makes this role unique? Combining GitOps leadership with open source contributions in a distributed, innovative culture at the Ubuntu company.