Staff Design Engineer - Cloud Networking UX

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is very widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution.

The company is founder led, profitable and growing.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of cloud networking user experience at Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu.  We're looking for an exceptional Staff Design Engineer who can make complex networking infrastructure intuitive, powerful, and delightful for developers and operations teams working in cloud environments. 

As a Staff Design Engineer, you'll define the UX vision for how users interact with networking across our cloud portfolio-from MAAS to MicroCloud and Ubuntu Server networking. You'll work on challenges like visualizing network topologies, designing intuitive configuration interfaces, and creating experiences that make infrastructure manageable at scale.

This role sits in the design team reporting to the Infrastructure design manager and is expected to have a company-wide impact.

Location: This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region.

The role entails

• Defining and driving the UX strategy for cloud networking products across Canonical's portfolio
• Designing intuitive interfaces for highly complex networking concepts that rethink VPCs, subnets, routing tables, security groups, load balancers, and network observability
• Creating and evolving design systems and patterns that scale across multiple products and platforms
• Conducting user research with DevOps engineers, network administrators, SREs, and cloud architects to understand their workflows, pain points, and mental models
• Building prototypes and high-fidelity designs using Figma or similar tools
• Creating experiences for network troubleshooting, monitoring, and observability
• Working on both GUI and terminal-based user experiences, understanding that our users span from UI to CLI preferences
• Mentoring designers and contribute to design culture across Canonical
• Owning one of our working groups to enable Canonical design’s horizontal efforts

What we are looking for in you

• Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
• Bachelor’s or equivalent in User Experience, Design, or STEM or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path
• 8+ years of experience in product design, UX design, or interaction design, with a strong portfolio of B2B/enterprise products
• Solid understanding of cloud computing and networking fundamentals, experience designing for developers and operations teams, and their workflows
• Strong information architecture skills and can organize complex systems into clear, navigable structures
• Experienced in user research methodologies and can translate findings into actionable design decisions
• Excellent communication skills and can articulate design rationale to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Self-motivated, organized, and comfortable working in a distributed, remote-first environment
• Knowledge and passion for the intersection of user experience, technology and design
• Commitment to continuous learning and improvement - curious, flexible, scientific
• Result-oriented with a drive to finish work and celebrate success
• Ability to travel internationally twice a year, for company events up to two weeks long

What we offer you

Your base pay will depend on various factors including your geographical location, level of experience, knowledge and skills. In addition to the benefits below, certain roles are also eligible for additional benefits and rewards including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on revenue or utilisation. Our compensation philosophy is to ensure equity right across our global workforce.  

In addition to a competitive base pay, we provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. Please note that additional benefits may apply depending on the work location and, for more information on these, you can ask in the later stages of the recruitment process.

• Fully remote working environment - we’ve been working remotely since 2004!
• Personal learning and development budget of 2,000USD per annum
• Annual compensation review
• Recognition rewards
• Annual holiday leave
• Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues at ‘sprints’
• Priority Pass for travel and travel upgrades for long haul company events

About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering tech firm that is at the forefront of the global move to open source. As the company that publishes Ubuntu, one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud, we are changing the world on a daily basis. We recruit on a global basis and set a very high standard for people joining the company. We expect excellence - in order to succeed, we need to be the best at what we do.

Canonical has been a remote-first company since its inception in 2004. Work at Canonical is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game. Canonical provides a unique window into the world of 21st-century digital business.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer

We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.