Embedded Linux Manager at Canonical - Remote Global — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
Canonical is one of the most nomad-friendly employers in tech, having operated as a fully distributed company since 2004 with 1,200+ colleagues across 75+ countries. This Embedded Linux Field Engineering Manager role is globally remote — but with a meaningful caveat: you must be based within the Americas, EMEA, or APAC geo you manage, spanning only a few timezones from your team.
Timezone flexibility: The role is described as working "in a single major time zone," which suggests structured overlap hours rather than fully async freedom. You can travel within your geo without disrupting coverage, but crossing between Americas/EMEA/APAC long-term would require a geo change. Plan nomad moves accordingly — e.g., staying within EMEA (Portugal → Georgia → UAE) or APAC (Thailand → Vietnam → Bali) is viable.
- Visa options: Portugal's Digital Nomad Visa, Germany's Freelance Visa, or UAE's Remote Work Visa are solid EMEA options. In APAC, Thailand's LTR Visa or Malaysia's DE Rantau Visa work well. Americas nomads can leverage Colombia's Digital Nomad Visa or Mexico's Temporary Resident status.
- Travel perks: Priority Pass membership and travel upgrades for long-haul company events are a standout perk for frequent travelers. Twice-yearly all-hands sprints in "interesting locations" add variety.
- L&D budget: The $2,000 annual learning budget can fund coworking memberships, online courses, or conference attendance.
Without a published salary, cost-of-living comparisons are speculative — but a senior engineering manager role at Canonical typically commands $120K–$160K+ USD equivalent, which goes very far in Lisbon (~$2,500/mo), Bangkok (~$1,800/mo), or Medellín (~$1,500/mo).
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.
We are hiring an Embedded Linux Field Engineering Manager to lead a regionally-focused team of Field Engineers in Presales and Professional Services activities, helping customers with solution architecture, design and delivery.
Our Embedded mission is to enable companies to make fleets of very secure connected devices. Canonical provides Ubuntu, Ubuntu Core and a unique Long Term Support, with secure update and management mechanisms. Our customers create mission-critical control systems, gateways and appliances that need to meet stringent quality and security requirements, and we aspire to bring this level of security to the wider consumer electronics and device market.
Our Field Engineers are thought leaders helping our customers through their journey toward a more secure and durable solution. They are accomplished technologists that take a hands-on approach to embedded Linux strategy and delivery. They have a passion to help customers achieve ambitious technical and business goals, and to show how the Canonical approach to open source and connected devices brings best-of-breed thinking to the emerging field of edge compute. They also care to develop their colleagues, helping them deepen their understanding of the technology, their ability to manage time, and their awareness of customer business thinking for continuous improvement and personal development.
This career opportunity requires a unique blend of skills. Successful candidates will know Linux well, understand how a distribution works, know the unique challenges of the Internet of Things, and will also carry team building and management skills. They 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 team drivers that take pride in team and company wins.
Location: This is a globally remote role, running a team in one of three Geos: Americas, EMEA or APAC. You will need to be located in one of those three Geos to manage the specific team that spans a few timezones from you.
The Role Entails
- Leading and developing a team of Field Engineers, ranging from graduate to senior, in the areas of Presales and Professional Services
- Planning and driving progress on agreed goals and projects
- Partnering with the leadership team
- Developing and championing engineering excellence and organisational practices
- Coaching, mentoring, and offering career development feedback
- Solving customer problems by promoting our technologies and being a trusted advisor
- Working remotely in a single major time zone
- Identifying and measuring team health indicators
- Implementing disciplined engineering processes
- Representing your team and product to stakeholders, partners, and customers
- Providing market feedback to Product and Engineering teams, and being a critical part of Ubuntu's future
What We Are Looking For
- Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
- Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path
- Extensive embedded Linux experience — Yocto or other
- Extensive Linux experience — Debian or Ubuntu preferred
- Ability to manage a small team
- Experience with customer engagements
- Professional written and spoken English
- Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability
- Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
- An ability to communicate the business benefits of technology
- A humble learner and quick study
- Ability to travel internationally twice a year for company events up to two weeks long
- Other desirable traits include RTOS experience, additional languages (both programming and human), and previous experience working in a remote-first, diverse, distributed company
What We Offer
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 its 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this role truly fully remote, or are there office requirements?
What timezone do I need to work in?
Does Canonical publish salary ranges for this role?
Do I need prior management experience to apply?
What travel is required for this position?
