Software Maintenance Engineer at Canonical

Software Maintenance Engineer

Location: Home based - Worldwide (fully remote)

Role summary

Canonical is hiring a Software Maintenance Engineer to work across Linux-based infrastructure and applications used by enterprise customers worldwide. This hands-on engineering role spans the full stack — from kernel and virtualization to containers, storage, networking and upstream open source projects — and focuses on troubleshooting, fixing and upstreaming durable solutions for critical production issues.

The role entails

• Resolve complex customer problems related to Ubuntu, kernel, Ceph, OpenStack, Kubernetes and other open source components.
• Investigate, triage and implement bug fixes; develop workarounds and backport patches for releases.
• Collaborate closely with Field, Support and product engineering teams to drive issues to resolution and improve customer outcomes.
• Participate in upstream communities to submit, review and shepherd patches for inclusion.
• Review code from peers, demonstrate strong technical judgement and help improve team processes, tools and documentation.
• Prioritise work effectively against multiple competing demands and provide clear, concise technical communications to stakeholders.
• Work remotely and travel internationally up to 4 times a year for team sprints, events and customer engagements.

What we are looking for in you

• Exceptional academic track record or equivalent professional experience in Computer Science, Engineering or a related discipline.
• Practical experience with Linux and open source software across one or more areas such as kernel, containers, storage or orchestration.
• Proficiency in at least one systems or scripting language such as Python, Golang, C or C++ on Linux.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and a willingness to deep-dive into unfamiliar technologies to resolve customer-impacting issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with remote, distributed teams.
• Ability to contribute upstream, follow collaborative workflows (git, code review) and engage with open source communities.
• Willingness to travel occasionally (up to 10% of time) for meetings, sprints and conferences.

Nice-to-have skills

• Familiarity with technologies such as QEMU/KVM, LXC/LXD, Ceph, OpenStack, Kubernetes and container tooling.
• Experience with packaging and distribution workflows (Debian packaging, snaps), Postgresql or MongoDB and distributed systems.
• Prior upstream contributions or experience working with large open source projects.

What we offer colleagues

Canonical provides a remote-first environment with competitive compensation that reflects geography and experience. We support professional development and offer a range of benefits adjusted for local markets.

• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year.
• Annual compensation review and recognition rewards.
• Annual holiday leave and paid parental leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme & Wellness Platform, and opportunity to travel to in-person team sprints and events.

About Canonical

Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu, the world’s leading open-source Linux distribution. We partner with cloud and silicon providers and contribute broadly to open source ecosystems. Our teams are globally distributed, remote-first and focused on delivering production-grade open source solutions.

Application notes

Requisition ID: 688

Please indicate your university grading result (or expected result) and the grading system used. When applying, include relevant experience and examples of troubleshooting, upstream contributions or production support work. Recruitment Privacy Notice and Privacy Policy apply.

How to apply

Apply via Canonical's careers site for this role: https://canonical.com/careers/6635681