Suggested rewrite: Led a cross-functional initiative that improved [business outcome] by [measurable result], demonstrating experience relevant to this role...
Solutions Architect for Automotive
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- Remote from
- 🌐 Anywhere
- Salary
- Undisclosed
- Department
- Software Engineering
- Employment
- Full Time
- Experience
- Open level
- Published
- Apply before
- 3 Nov 2026
- Listing views
- 162
- Application actions
- 12
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The role, at a glance.
Canonical is seeking a customer-facing Solutions Architect to support automotive partners adopting Ubuntu and open-source technologies for software-defined vehicles. The role combines presales discovery, technical demonstrations, proofs of concept, and selective delivery work involving embedded Linux and cloud-native platforms. Candidates need deep Linux and embedded systems expertise, coding capability, automotive-domain experience, and strong presentation skills. The position operates in a distributed environment and requires willingness to travel up to 30% for customer and company engagements.
Role DNA
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Pace & Pressure
4/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
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Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I would begin with stakeholder and requirements discovery, covering vehicle architecture, safety and security constraints, hardware targets, development workflow, lifecycle management, and commercial goals. I would then map those needs to relevant Ubuntu, embedded Linux, cloud, and support capabilities, identify gaps and risks, and propose a phased proof of concept with measurable technical and business outcomes.
I would assess the boot chain from firmware and bootloader through kernel initialization, device trees, drivers, storage, networking, and hardware security features. I would also validate reproducible builds, update and rollback mechanisms, logging, diagnostics, performance, power management, and the applicable functional-safety and cybersecurity requirements.
Yocto is often selected when a highly customized, minimal, reproducible embedded distribution is needed for a specific hardware product. Ubuntu can provide a more standardized platform with a broad package ecosystem, security maintenance, developer familiarity, and management capabilities. I would recommend an approach based on the customer's hardware constraints, product lifecycle, security model, certification needs, development velocity, and operational requirements.
I would avoid positioning Kubernetes as a universal in-vehicle solution and first identify where cloud-native patterns solve a real problem, such as CI/CD, simulation, fleet services, developer platforms, data processing, or edge workloads. I would use an architecture and a focused demonstration to show how automation, repeatability, observability, and controlled deployments improve delivery speed and reliability.
I would acknowledge the question directly, clarify the customer's underlying requirement, and avoid making unsupported claims. I would engage the relevant domain experts, synthesize their input into a clear response, document assumptions and next steps, and ensure the customer receives a timely answer that is technically accurate and aligned with their goals.
About this role.
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 1000+ colleagues in 70+ countries and very few roles based in offices. 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. We are hiring a Solutions Architect for Automotive to help our partners (companies like Mercedes, Ford, GM, Elektrobit, Intel, Nvidia, Google, Dell, HP, Accenture, Tata and the like) and prospects understand and embrace our open source platform for themselves and their customers.
Our worldwide field engineering team apply expert insights to real-world customer problems, enabling the enterprise adoption of Ubuntu, OpenStack, Kubernetes, AI/MLOps and a wide range of associated technologies. We are experts in the whole open source stack, from kernel to desktop, from cloud to embedded. And we continue to expand our range of offerings to bring our security, management and developer experience to the smallest Linux environments and devices. Our team is also interested in business problems – building things reliably, efficiently and cost-effectively, and we have to learn to speak the language of our customers and their industries.
Beyond an expected Automotive expertise, this career opportunity requires a unique blend of skills. Successful candidates will know Linux well and be proficient coders and scripters. They will have experience of low-level Linux boot, BIOS, firmware and embedded software development methodologies. They also enjoy the pace of change and diversity of client engagements with driven and ambitious technology entrepreneurs. Competitive, business-focused technologists at heart, they are also dedicated team players that take pride in team and company wins.
We often say that our field engineers have ‘the hardest job at Canonical’ because customers can ask about any aspect of our solutions and products and expect a thoughtful, well-informed answer. We always want to do the best thing for our partners and customers, regardless of our company interests, and field engineers are the people we trust to ensure that is true.
Location: This is a home-based role, we are hiring worldwide.
What your day will look like
- Engage customers during presales to gather requirements and explain our technology
- Liaise with other Canonical’s experts (mastering the Cloud, Kubernetes, Security or Safety, etc) to aggregate our collective knowledge into comprehensive solutions for our prospective clients
- Participate to the delivery of select projects related to Embedded Linux, including demos and PoCs
- Convey market requirements to key stakeholders in our organization, and sometimes participate to the development or refining of generic solutions to unlock market potential
- Be both a customer advocate and a trusted advisor to Canonical
If you have a passion for the latest open source technologies applied to Automotive, if you want to play an active role in building Software Defined Vehicles, if you are curious with a will to learn how to leverage and adapt Cloud technologies to the embedded world, you will love working at Canonical.
What we are looking for in you
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related technical field
- Extensive Linux experience – Debian or Ubuntu preferred
- Solid embedded Linux experience – Yocto or RTOS
- Fluency in Golang, Python, C, C++, or Rust
- Professional written and spoken English in addition to the local language
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Interest in customer-facing engagement, including pitching, demonstrating and understanding customer environment and needs
- Result-oriented, ability to multi-task
- A personal drive to meet commitments
- An humble learner and quick study
- Relevant experience in the Automotive industry
- Albeit many projects can be done remotely, the successful candidate will be willing to travel up to 30% of the time for customer meetings, company events, and conferences
Additional skills that you might also bring (but not mandatory)
Experience with ISO26262 and/or ISO21434
Experience with customer engagements
What we offer you
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 recognise outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus. 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 – we’ve been working remotely since 2004!
- Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
- Annual compensation review
- Recognition rewards
- Annual holiday leave
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues from your team and others
- 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.
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