About Canonical

Canonical is the pioneering company behind Ubuntu, the world's leading open source operating system powering AI, IoT, cloud computing, and enterprise infrastructure. As a global leader in open source innovation, Canonical develops comprehensive automation solutions for multi-cloud and on-premise environments. Our mission is to deliver the best open source software to organizations worldwide, enabling them to operate at scale with reliability and efficiency. With a fully remote-first culture established since 2004, Canonical attracts top engineering talent who thrive in collaborative, high-impact environments focused on excellence.

Role Overview

The Software Engineer - Data Infrastructure - Kafka position is a key role within Canonical's data platform team. This team is building a world-class automation suite for managed data solutions spanning big data, NoSQL, caching layers, analytics, and SQL engines—similar to Amazon RDS but optimized for open source and multi-cloud deployments. You'll tackle the challenges of fault-tolerant, mission-critical distributed systems, focusing on technologies like Kafka for event streaming and Spark for parallel computing. This home-based role in EMEA time zones offers junior to senior opportunities for engineers passionate about open source community dynamics and enterprise needs.

Day-to-Day Impact

Your work will center on automating data platform operations at scale, ensuring fault-tolerant replication, TLS security, installations, backups, and more. Importantly, this role emphasizes infrastructure automation rather than data analysis or processing, providing critical expertise to other Canonical teams.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you'll contribute to Canonical's data platform excellence through hands-on engineering:

• Proactively collaborate with a distributed team of talented engineers across time zones.
• Write high-quality, idiomatic Python code to develop new features for data infrastructure.
• Debug complex issues and actively engage with upstream open source communities.
• Work alongside experts in distributed systems, cloud, and open source to discuss ideas and implement robust solutions.
• Operate from home with occasional global travel (2-4 weeks per year) for internal workshops and external events.

Qualifications & Requirements

Canonical seeks engineers who combine technical prowess with a growth mindset:

• Required: Proven hands-on experience in Python software development.
• Hands-on experience with distributed systems like Kafka and Spark.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, STEM, or related field.
• Willingness to travel up to 4 times annually for company events.

Additional Skills: Experience with SQL/NoSQL databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis), Linux administration, public/private clouds (OpenStack), or Kubernetes for persistent data services will position you for senior levels.

Benefits & Perks

Canonical offers a premium compensation package reflecting our commitment to equity and employee well-being:

• Fully remote working environment—pioneered since 2004.
• $2,000 USD annual personal learning and development budget.
• Annual compensation reviews with potential bonuses.
• Recognition rewards and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Generous annual holiday leave and parental leave policies.
• Travel perks including Priority Pass and upgrades for biannual company events.

Career Growth

At Canonical, career progression is driven by impact and skill mastery. You'll work on high-visibility projects shaping the future of open source data platforms. With mentorship from world-class engineers, regular reviews, and a dedicated learning budget, you'll advance from junior to senior roles while contributing to Ubuntu's ecosystem. Our global, merit-based culture ensures opportunities for leadership in distributed systems and beyond.

Why Join Canonical

Joining Canonical means being at the forefront of open source transformation. As the publisher of Ubuntu, we power mission-critical infrastructure for enterprises worldwide. Our remote-first model fosters work-life balance, while our focus on excellence attracts the brightest minds. You'll solve real-world problems in fault-tolerant data systems, collaborate openly, and travel to inspiring locations. If you value open source, innovation, and global impact, this is your chance to excel.

Role FAQs

Q: Is this role fully remote? Yes, home-based in EMEA time zones with minimal travel.

Q: What experience level is required? Junior to senior; core Python and Kafka/Spark experience essential.

Q: Does Canonical contribute to open source? Absolutely—our work enhances upstream communities and Ubuntu's data capabilities.

Q: What's the tech stack? Python, Kafka, Spark, Linux, Kubernetes, cloud platforms.

Q: How is compensation determined? Based on location, experience, and skills, with global equity and annual reviews.