Distributed Systems Engineer

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 exciting opportunity for a software engineer passionate about open source software, Linux, and web services at scale. Come build a rewarding, meaningful career working with the best and brightest people in technology at Canonical, a growing pre-IPO international software company.

Canonical’s engineering team is at the forefront of the IoT revolution and aims to strengthen this position by developing cutting-edge telemetry and connectivity solutions. By integrating reliable, secure, and robust data streaming capabilities into the Snappy ecosystem, we are setting new standards in the industry for ease of development, implementation, management and security.

We are seeking talented individuals to help us enhance our global SaaS services, providing customers with the essential data services needed to build the next generation of IoT devices effortlessly. Our commitment to data governance, ownership, and confidentiality is unparalleled, ensuring our customers can innovate with confidence on top of the globally trusted Ubuntu platform.

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

What your day will look like

• Work remotely with a globally distributed team, driving technical excellence and fostering innovation across diverse engineering environments.
• Design, architect, and build high-performance APIs to power streaming data services, ensuring seamless integration across teams and products using Python and Go.
• Develop robust governance, auditing, and management systems within our advanced telemetry platform, ensuring security, compliance, and operational integrity.
• Partner with our infrastructure team to build scalable cloud-based SaaS solutions while also delivering containerized on-prem deployments for enterprise customers.
• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of new features, taking projects from specification to production, ensuring operational excellence at scale.
• Provide technical oversight, review code and designs, and set best practices to maintain engineering excellence.
• Engage in high-level technical discussions, collaborating on optimal solutions with engineers, product teams, and stakeholders.
• Work remotely with occasional global travel (2-4 weeks per year) for internal and external events, fostering deeper collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

What we are looking for in you

• You design and architect scalable backend services, messaging/data pipelines, and REST APIs using Go or Python, guiding best practices, technical direction, and system scalability.
• You possess deep expertise in cybersecurity principles and proactively address the complex challenges of IoT environments: secure connectivity, data streaming, governance, and compliance.
• You bring proven expertise in designing and optimizing systems using:
  • IAM models, encryption, access control, and compliance frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA) to ensure secure and compliant data handling
  • Ability to design decentralized data ownership models, ensuring interoperability and governance across domains
  • Designing high-throughput, low-latency systems for IoT data processing
  • Data streaming technologies (MQTT, Kafka, RabbitMQ)
  • Observability tools (OpenTelemetry)
  • Industrial/engineering data exchange protocols (OPC-UA, ModBus)
• You thrive in cross-functional environments, partnering with product teams, engineers, and stakeholders to drive high-impact technical solutions that align with business objectives.
• You mentor junior engineers, foster technical excellence, and contribute to a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and knowledge sharing.
• You embrace challenges with an open mind, continuously seeking opportunities to learn, improve, and innovate in a rapidly evolving IoT landscape.
• You are familiar with Ubuntu as a development and deployment platform.
• You hold a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, STEM, or a related field.
• You are willing to travel up to 4 times a year for internal events.

What we offer colleagues

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognize outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. We provide all team members with additional benefits which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.

• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person
• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
• Annual compensation review
• Recognition rewards
• Annual holiday leave
• Maternity and paternity leave
• Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events

About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering tech firm 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 of software. 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. Most colleagues at Canonical have worked from home since our inception in 2004. Working here is a step into the future and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.

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.