Partner Engineering Manager at Canonical - Remote — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
Fully remote and globally distributed — Canonical is one of the most established remote-first tech companies in the world, and this role explicitly states "work from home" with only two short international trips per year (up to two weeks each). This is genuinely nomad-compatible.
Timezone flexibility: The role is open across APAC, EMEA, LATAM, Canada, and the USA, suggesting async-friendly workflows are the norm. Managing a distributed team across multiple timezones typically means overlap windows rather than rigid fixed hours — a strong signal for location-independent workers.
Visa considerations: With no country restriction, popular nomad destinations are well within reach:
- Portugal (Lisbon): EU Digital Nomad Visa available; cost of living ~$2,000–$3,000/month for a comfortable lifestyle.
- Thailand (Bangkok/Chiang Mai): Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa or tourist visa with border runs; cost of living ~$1,200–$2,000/month.
- Colombia (Medellín): Digital Nomad Visa (up to 2 years); cost of living ~$1,500–$2,500/month.
Travel perks: The included Priority Pass benefit is directly valuable for frequent travelers, offering airport lounge access globally — a meaningful perk for anyone moving between destinations. The two annual company trips also provide structured travel on Canonical's dime.
Overall, this is a strong fit for experienced nomads who want stable senior employment without sacrificing location freedom.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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