Engineering Manager – Data Platform

Remote from
🌐 Anywhere
Annual salary
Undisclosed
Salary information is not provided for this position. Check our Salary Directory to estimate the average compensation for similar roles.
Employment type
Full Time,
Job posted
Apply before
21 Aug 2026
Experience level
Midweight
Views / Applies
42 / 2

About Canonical Ltd.

Trusted open source for enterprises

Actively Hiring
Verified job posting
This job post has been manually reviewed for authenticity and compliance.

AI Summary

Canonical is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead teams focused on Big Data and MySQL databases within their data platform. The role involves building scalable data solutions on Kubernetes, managing a team of engineers, and directly contributing code. The position is fully remote, with global travel twice yearly, and requires strong technical and leadership skills. Canonical offers a competitive compensation package, including a personal learning budget and annual bonuses. The ideal candidate has a software engineering background, experience with Python, Golang, and running production systems at scale.

Role DNA

Job Complexity
Easy Hard
Pace & Pressure
Relaxed Fast-paced
Autonomy Level
Guided Full Ownership
Communication Load
Independent Highly Collaborative
AI Insight This role is highly difficult due to the combination of technical leadership, managing diverse teams across time zones, and the need for deep expertise in Big Data, MySQL, and Kubernetes.

Salary Analysis

Median Highly Competitive
$200,000
US Market
$120k – 280k
0 $308k
AI Insight The offered salary is not specified, but for this senior engineering management role in the US market, the typical range is $120k-$280k, with a median around $200k. Canonical's compensation philosophy includes equity across global workforce, so the actual offer may vary based on location and experience.

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my strong interest in the Engineering Manager - Data Platform position at Canonical. With over 10 years of experience in software engineering and leadership, I have successfully led teams building scalable data solutions on Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure. My technical expertise spans Python, Golang, and big data technologies like Spark and MySQL, aligning perfectly with this role's requirements.

At my previous company, I managed a distributed team of 8 engineers, driving agile practices and delivering a fault-tolerant data platform that reduced downtime by 40%. I am passionate about mentoring engineers and fostering a culture of quality and innovation. Canonical's mission to democratize open-source data solutions deeply resonates with me, and I am eager to contribute to your world-class data platform.

I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how my leadership and technical skills can help Canonical achieve its vision. Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Describe your experience leading a team that built a scalable data platform. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
At my previous role, I led a team of 6 engineers to build a real-time analytics platform on Kubernetes. Key challenges included ensuring fault tolerance and managing data consistency across distributed nodes. We implemented automated failover mechanisms and used event sourcing to maintain data integrity. I also fostered a blameless culture for post-mortems, which improved system reliability.
How do you approach hiring and developing engineers? Give an example of a time you coached a team member to improve performance.
I believe in hiring for potential and cultural fit. I conduct structured interviews focusing on problem-solving and collaboration. For development, I set clear goals and provide regular feedback. For instance, I once mentored a junior engineer who struggled with code reviews. I paired them with a senior developer and set up weekly learning sessions. Within three months, they were contributing high-quality code and leading small features.
Can you explain how you would ensure high code quality and engineering excellence in a remote team?
I would establish clear coding standards, enforce thorough code reviews, and implement CI/CD pipelines with automated testing. Regular pair programming sessions and knowledge-sharing meetings help maintain consistency. Additionally, I would use tools like SonarQube for static analysis and encourage a culture of collective code ownership.
Given that this role involves Big Data and MySQL, how do you stay current with evolving technologies and determine when to adopt new ones?
I follow industry blogs, attend conferences, and encourage my team to experiment with new tools in hackathons. Adoption decisions are based on a cost-benefit analysis: performance improvements, scalability, and community support. For example, I recently evaluated Apache Iceberg for our data lake and decided to integrate it after a successful prototype showed 30% faster queries.
How would you handle a conflict between two senior engineers with differing technical opinions on architecture?
I would first listen to both sides to understand the trade-offs. Then, I'd facilitate a data-driven discussion, asking them to prototype key aspects and present benchmarks if feasible. If no clear winner, I might propose a compromise or escalate to a higher-level principle like simplicity or maintainability. Ultimately, I ensure the team aligns on the decision and moves forward without lingering resentment.

Canonical is building a comprehensive suite of multi-cloud and on-premise data solutions for the enterprise. We want to make it easy to operate any database on any cloud, or on premise. The data platform team covers the full range of data stores and data technologies, spanning from big data, NoSQL, cache-layer capabilities, and analytics; all the way to structured SQL engines like Postgres and MySQL. We aim to deliver fault-tolerant mission-critical distributed systems, and the world’s best data platform. 

We are looking for technical Engineering Managers to lead teams focused on Big Data and MySQL databases. We write code in Python and encode modern operational practices for data applications at scale on Kubernetes and cloud machines.

Location: This role can be filled in European, Middle East, African or any American region / time zone.

What your day will look like

  • You will lead a team building scalable data solutions for Kubernetes and cloud machines
  • You will hire, coach, mentor, provide feedback, and lead your team by example
  • You will demonstrate sound engineering skill by directly contributing code when needed
  • Effectively set and manage expectations with other engineering teams, senior management, and external stakeholders
  • Advocate modern, agile software development practices
  • Develop and evangelize great engineering and organizational practices
  • Ensure that your team delivers excellent products that users love by maintaining a culture of quality and engineering excellence
  • Grow a healthy, collaborative engineering culture aligned with the company’s values.
  • Be an active part of the leadership team and collaborate with other leaders in the organization
  • Work from home with global travel twice yearly, for internal events of one or two weeks duration

What we are looking for in you

  • A software engineering background, preferably with Python and Golang experience
  • Experience running in production and at scale, preferably Big Data or MySQL
  • Excellent judgement about people – their motivations, abilities, developmental needs, and prospects for success
  • Proven ability to build high-quality, open-source software
  • Proven to drive good engineering practices around performance and quality
  • An open-minded attitude to new technologies and the drive to push the boundaries of what is possible
  • The ambition to build products that improve how people operate software and infrastructure everywhere
  • Love developing and growing people and have a track record of doing it
  • Knowledgeable and passionate about software development

Additional skills that you might also bring

  • Specialist knowledge in one or more of Spark, Superset, MySQL, or similar
  • Prior experience working with open source and a will to build products with the community

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 above, 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, please ask your Talent Partner.

  • 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.

#LI-remote

 

Apply now >

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