About Canonical

Canonical is the leading provider of open-source software and operating systems, powering global enterprise and technology markets with Ubuntu. As the company behind Ubuntu Linux, Canonical drives breakthrough initiatives in public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include the world's top public cloud providers, silicon manufacturers, and industry leaders across sectors. With over 1200 colleagues in more than 80 countries, Canonical pioneers global distributed collaboration. Most roles are remote, with teams meeting 2-4 times yearly in exciting global locations for strategy and execution alignment. Founder-led, profitable, and growing, Canonical offers a dynamic environment for top engineering talent.

Role Overview

Canonical is hiring Golang engineers of all seniority levels for teams across the company. If you're an exceptional software engineer passionate about Go, this is your opportunity to contribute to Ubuntu's core infrastructure. After initial interviews, we'll match you to the ideal product team based on your interests. Golang is central to Canonical's high-performance, secure systems, including software distribution, open-source building and testing across architectures, systems management, and distributed operations R&D. Key projects like Juju, Livepatch, LXD, MAAS, Microk8s, Snapd, Ubuntu Core, and Ubuntu Pro rely on Golang for concurrency and developer ecosystem strengths. Help make Ubuntu the premier platform for Golang development with top tooling and capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement well-tested, documented software in Go.
• Debug and resolve issues reported by users.
• Engage in engineering processes via code and architectural reviews.
• Collaborate with community and colleagues on technical specifications.
• Drive improvements in engineering and operations practices.
• Deploy and operate team-developed services where required.
• Contribute to product success through technical advocacy.

Qualifications & Requirements

We seek engineers with the highest standards and motivation to excel in a fully remote, distributed setting. Essential requirements include:

• Exceptional academic record from high school and university.
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM (or compelling alternative narrative).
• Proven drive exceeding expectations.
• Well-organized, self-starting with on-schedule delivery.
• Professional interactions with colleagues, partners, and community.
• Hands-on experience designing high-quality Golang software on Linux.
• Deep passion for Linux at the system level, especially Debian or Ubuntu.
• Senior roles: Experience building, deploying, operating distributed systems and APIs.
• Professional written and spoken English.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, accountability.
• Strong communication, presentation, and result-oriented mindset.
• Willingness to travel twice yearly for up to two-week company events.

Nice-to-have: Ubuntu development experience, work on Juju/LXD/Microk8s/Snapd/Ubuntu Core/Pro, performance/security expertise.

Benefits & Perks

Canonical shapes compensation based on location, experience, and performance worldwide, with annual reviews (more frequent for graduates/associates). Enjoy base pay plus performance-driven annual bonuses. All team members receive comprehensive benefits, including:

• 100% remote work from any timezone.
• Global collaboration in a diverse, distributed team.
• In-person strategy meetups in inspiring locations.
• Work on impactful open-source projects reaching millions.
• Professional growth in a profitable, scaling company.

Career Growth

At Canonical, career progression is merit-based in a remote-first culture. Advance through technical excellence, leadership in open-source contributions, and impact on Ubuntu's ecosystem. From junior to senior roles, gain exposure to cloud, AI, IoT, and enterprise systems. Regular feedback, skill-building opportunities, and cross-team projects foster rapid growth. Many engineers lead initiatives in Juju, Snapcraft, or MAAS, shaping Canonical's future.

Why Join Canonical

Join a mission to deliver innovative open-source solutions worldwide. Work on Ubuntu, the OS behind public clouds, edge computing, and AI innovations. Thrive in a remote-first environment valuing autonomy, excellence, and collaboration. With Linux expertise preferred, contribute to projects enhancing Golang on Ubuntu. Canonical's commitment to open source, performance, and security positions you at tech's forefront. Be part of a founder-led team driving real-world change.

Role FAQs

Q: Is this role fully remote? Yes, open to all timezones worldwide with no office requirement.

Q: What Linux experience is needed? Extensive hands-on with various versions; Debian/Ubuntu preferred.

Q: Seniority levels? All levels, from junior to senior, matched post-interview.

Q: Travel required? Twice yearly for up to two weeks each.

Q: Other languages? Primarily Go, with Python, C/C++, Rust, React, Flutter in ecosystem.

Q: How to apply? Submit via the portal; initial interviews lead to team matching.