Chief Software Architect

Rust Engineering Lead

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. We have 1000+ colleagues in 70+ 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. We see Rust as an important new language for system level services and capabilities, and a natural evolution path for the sort of software that would traditionally have been written in C or C++. We believe that there is an opportunity to rethink the foundations of future Linux systems with Rust as a central driver of change in everything from the system firmware and embedded software, bootloaders, up through the kernel and input handling, all the way to the desktop.

We also want to ensure that our platform is the very best environment for Rust development, offering easy access to the widest range of tooling and capabilities that support cutting edge open source and enterprise development.

This posting is our general process for Rust engineers of all levels of seniority, for all relevant teams at Canonical. If you are an exceptional software engineer who prefers to work in Rust, apply here after the first round of interviews we'll find the best fit product team at Canonical for you to progress your application based on your personal interests.

Our projects include substantial Python, Go, C, C++ and we are starting to invest in Rust. For front-end development we prefer React and Flutter.

Join us in our mission to deliver innovative open-source solutions to individuals and enterprises around the world. We expect the highest engineering standards and strong motivation to get things done well in a fully home-based and distributed environment. These roles require extensive personal experience with Linux - the more different versions of Linux the better.

What your day will look like:

• Design and implement well-tested and well-documented software in Rust.
• Advocate for Rust adoption in Canonical and upstream projects.
• Identify projects and codebases that could be prioritised for Rust adoption.
• Debug and fix issues encountered by your users.
• Participate in our engineering process through code and architectural reviews.
• Collaborate with community and colleagues on technical specifications.
• Seek improvements to engineering and operations practices.
• In some cases, deploy and operate services developed by the team.
• Contribute to the success of your product through technical advocacy.

What we are looking for in you:

• An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university.
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM, or a compelling narrative about your alternative path.
• For more senior roles, experience building, deploying, and operating distributed systems and APIs.
• Drive and a track record of going above-and-beyond expectations.
• Well-organised, self-starting and able to deliver to schedule.
• Appreciative of diversity, polite and effective in a multi-cultural, multi-national organisation.
• Professional manner interacting with colleagues, partners, and community.
• Experience designing and writing high-quality Rust software on Linux.
• Experience with and passion for Linux at the system level.
• Professional written and spoken English.
• The work ethic and confidence to shine alongside motivated colleagues.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability.
• Passion, thoughtfulness, and self-motivation.
• Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments.
• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each.

Nice-to-have skills we would value:

• Experience developing for our platform.
• Experience with LXD, MicroK8s, SnapD, IoT, Juju, our Core, our Pro.
• Performance engineering and security experience.

What we offer colleagues:

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. 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.
• 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.
• Priority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company events.