Engineering Manager – Linux Hardware Enablement

Remote from: USA, APAC +3 more, Canada, EMEA, LATAM
Annual salary: Undisclosed
Salary information is not provided for this position. Check our Salary Directory to estimate the average compensation for similar roles.
Department: Software Engineering
Employment type: Full Time,
Job posted: 5 Jul 2026
Apply before: 5 Aug 2026
Experience level: Midweight
Views / Applies: 36 / 0

About company

About Canonical Ltd.

Trusted open source for enterprises

Computer Software
2004

Actively Hiring

AI Summary

This role is for an Engineering Manager at Canonical, focused on Linux hardware enablement for Ubuntu. The position involves leading a distributed engineering team to optimize Ubuntu for the latest silicon from a major partner, working across the full Linux stack. Responsibilities include managing technical partnerships, overseeing project milestones, and developing engineers through coaching and mentoring. The ideal candidate has experience with Linux distributions, enterprise hardware, and leading software engineering teams. This is a remote position with global travel up to twice a year.

Role DNA

Job Complexity

Easy Hard

Pace & Pressure

Relaxed Fast-paced

Autonomy Level

Guided Full Ownership

Communication Load

Independent Highly Collaborative

AI Insight The role requires deep technical expertise in Linux and hardware, combined with team leadership and customer management skills, making it challenging but not extremely rare. It is rated 4 due to the need for both technical and managerial proficiency.

Salary Analysis

AI Insight The offered salary is not provided, but based on US market data for Engineering Managers in Linux/Ubuntu roles, the estimated median is around $180,000. This is competitive for a remote position with a leading open-source company like Canonical.

Core Skills Required

Linux Ubuntu Engineering Management Team Leadership Agile Development Hardware Enablement Kernel IoT Debian Packaging Customer Engagement

Cover Letter Sample

I am excited to apply for the Engineering Manager - Linux Hardware Enablement position at Canonical. With a strong background in Linux system engineering and team leadership, I have successfully managed distributed teams to deliver high-performance solutions for server and IoT platforms. My experience includes working closely with silicon partners to optimize hardware-software integration, ensuring timely delivery of milestones and maintaining strict quality standards.

At my previous role, I led a team of engineers in developing Ubuntu-based builds for next-generation hardware, resulting in a 30% improvement in system performance. I am skilled in agile methodologies and possess excellent communication abilities, enabling effective collaboration across internal teams and external partners. I am particularly drawn to Canonical's mission of advancing open-source technology and am confident in my ability to drive innovation in this role.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of contributing to Canonical's success and discussing how my skills align with your team's goals. I am available for an interview at your earliest convenience.

Sample Interview Questions

Describe your experience with Linux kernel development and hardware bring-up. How have you managed a team in such technical contexts?

I have over 7 years of experience working with the Linux kernel, specifically in device drivers and hardware enablement for ARM and x86 architectures. I led a team of 5 engineers during a project to port Ubuntu to a new server platform, coordinating with silicon vendors to resolve boot issues and optimize performance. I used agile sprints to track progress and held regular one-on-ones to address technical blockers.

How do you handle competing priorities from multiple stakeholders, such as internal teams and external partners?

I prioritize by aligning with the overall product roadmap and business value. I schedule regular sync meetings with partners to set clear expectations and milestones. When conflicts arise, I facilitate discussions to find trade-offs that satisfy critical requirements while managing scope creep. For example, I once negotiated a revised timeline with a partner by demonstrating the impact of a requested feature on other commitments.

Can you give an example of how you have mentored a junior engineer to improve their technical skills?

I paired a junior engineer with a senior mentor for a kernel module development task. I also scheduled weekly code reviews and provided hands-on guidance on debugging tools like ftrace and crash. Over six months, the engineer became proficient in kernel development and eventually led their own feature implementation.

What metrics do you use to measure the success of your engineering team?

I track delivery on milestones, code quality (e.g., bug density, test coverage), and team velocity. Additionally, I measure customer satisfaction through partner feedback and the number of critical issues resolved within SLAs. For a hardware enablement project, we monitored boot time and power consumption against targets.

How do you stay updated with the latest developments in Linux and hardware technologies?

I follow Linux kernel mailing lists, attend conferences like Linux Plumbers and OSS, and engage with upstream communities. I also encourage my team to contribute patches and share learnings during tech talks. Recently, I implemented a weekly internal newsletter highlighting key kernel changes relevant to our projects.

Lead an engineering team that partners with the Linux engineers of a major silicon company, and works across the full Linux stack from kernel to GUI, to optimise Ubuntu, the world’s most widely used Linux desktop and server, for the latest silicon.

The role is a fast-paced, problem-solving role that’s challenging yet very exciting. The right candidate must be resourceful, articulate, and able to deliver on a wide variety of solutions across PC and IoT technologies. Our teams partner with specialist engineers from major silicon companies to integrate next-generation features and performance enhancements for upcoming hardware.

As a Partner Engineering Manager at Canonical your role is to manage relationships with our key technology partners by ensuring timely delivery on agreed project milestones. Technical leadership experience and a background in software engineering are necessary prerequisites for this role. You will be expected to lead, challenge, and develop strong engineers, positively influence the culture, facilitate technical delivery, and work with your team on strategy and execution.

What you’ll do

Lead a team of distributed engineers to design and implement the best Ubuntu integration for the latest IoT and server-class hardware platforms and software stacks
Engage with commercial partners to deliver a delightful, optimised, first class Ubuntu experience on their platforms
Develop your team through coaching, mentoring, leading by example, and feedback
Oversee commercial engagements and support timely delivery on agreed project milestones
Ensure an ongoing commitment to strict quality and reliability standards
Engage with other teams at Canonical to ensure alignment on product architecture and roadmaps
Work from home with global travel up to twice a year for up to two weeks

Who you are

You have worked with Linux distributions, debian packaging and high performance, server-class hardware
You have experience working directly with customers, resolving their technical issues, interpreting their business challenges and effectively communicating how your solution will meet their needs
You have demonstrated experience managing or leading a team of software engineers
You have understanding of agile software development methodologies
You collaborate effectively across multiple internal teams, building trust and delivering results
You have effective communications skills in English, both written and oral
You have a bachelor’s (or equivalent university level) degree, preferably in a technology field

What Canonical offers

Learning and Development opportunities
Annual Compensation Review
Recognition Rewards
Annual Leave
Priority Pass for travel

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

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