---
title: 'Software Engineer, Ubuntu Commercial Computers at Canonical'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-ubuntu-commercial-computers-canonical-beijing-xjc33zkzd8a5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-06'
---

# Software Engineer, Ubuntu Commercial Computers at Canonical

- **Company:** Canonical
- **Location:** Beijing, China
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2023-12-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-06
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/canonical/jobs/5560784

## Job description

## Role Summary

Canonical's OEM Delivery Team works with tier-one OEM, IHV, and ODM customers to pre-load Ubuntu Classic, Ubuntu Core, and bring Ubuntu directly to millions of users. You will have the opportunity to enable cutting edge technology with world leading partners, and become the first contributor to the innovation.

As a Software Engineer, you will be responsible for technical aspects of ensuring that Ubuntu functions well on systems. This fast-paced environment requires strong debugging, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and deep knowledge of the Linux system. You will cooperate with the best developers in the open source communities to deliver the best user experience.

## Key Responsibilities

- Work closely with project managers and Field/QA engineers to identify, triage, and fix critical system-level problems;
- Work with individual upstream projects to find and apply patches for bugs affecting OEM/ODM customers; champion locally-developed patches for inclusion in the upstream package;
- Provide software and system engineering services for OEM and ODM customers;
- International travel is occasionally required. Must be able to travel to the EU, USA, China, and Taiwan;

Required Skills And Experience

- Participation in open-source development projects;
- Passion on Linux and Open Source projects;
- Strong English-language communication skills, especially in online environments such as mailing lists and IRC;
- Excellent and proven time-management skills;
- Ability to be productive in a globally-distributed team through self-discipline and self-motivation;

Desirable Skills And Experience

- Demonstrated open source participation and contributions;
- Fluency in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese;

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer

Canonical believes a diverse workforce enhances our ability to deliver world class software and services which meet the world’s computing needs. We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

## About Canonical

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Canonical publishes Ubuntu and delivers trusted open source software, security, and support to enterprises worldwide.
- **Entity Type**: Private (founder-funded, bootstrapped)
- **Headquarters**: Not publicly available in provided sources (commonly reported as London, UK)
- **Founded**: 2004
- **Founders**: Mark Shuttleworth

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Enterprise open source software, cloud infrastructure, and security.
- Target customers: B2B – enterprises, cloud providers, developers, and government organizations.
- Mission statement: "We amplify the impact of open source" – helping people and organizations tap into the power of open source to develop new products with speed and confidence.

## Products & Services
- **Ubuntu**: The world’s most popular Linux distribution for desktops, servers, and IoT.
- **Ubuntu Pro**: A single subscription providing security maintenance, compliance features, and support for the entire open source portfolio.
- **OpenStack**: Canonical’s distribution of the open source cloud platform for private and hybrid clouds.
- **Kubernetes (MicroK8s, Charmed Kubernetes)**: Lightweight and production-grade Kubernetes solutions.
- **Landscape**: Systems management and compliance tool for Ubuntu deployments.
- **LXD**: System container manager for running full Linux systems in containers.
- **Netplan**: Network configuration utility for Linux.
- **Vanilla Framework**: Open source CSS framework developed by Canonical’s web and design teams.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding – not applicable (bootstrapped). Annual revenue – not publicly available.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Founder Mark Shuttleworth is the primary investor. Partners include major cloud providers and hardware vendors (not explicitly listed in provided sources).
- **Growth Signals**: Scaled engineering headcount from 600 to 950 engineers (per blog post). Remote-first since inception in 2004. Over 80 nationalities represented.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Ubuntu ecosystem**: De facto standard for cloud and developer environments.
- **Remote-first culture**: Fully distributed since 2004, attracting global talent.
- **Open source leadership**: Deep involvement in communities (OpenStack, Kubernetes, etc.) and strong brand trust.
- **End-to-end portfolio**: From OS to applications, with consistent security maintenance for up to 15 years.
- **Rigorous hiring**: Manual, human-reviewed process that prioritizes culture fit and potential.

## Strategic Focus
- Expand enterprise adoption of Ubuntu Pro and managed open source services.
- Maintain leadership in cloud, container, and edge computing.
- Strengthen security and compliance offerings for regulated industries.
- Continue investing in open source communities and upstream projects.

## Why Work Here
- **Remote-first**: Truly distributed company with no central office; team members work from anywhere.
- **Culture**: Values of reliability, accessibility, precision, and adroitness. Emphasis on collaboration and open source ethos.
- **Small teams, big impact**: Engineering organized into nimble squads (950 engineers across ~50 teams) prioritizing agility and deep expertise.
- **Diversity**: Team from over 80 nationalities; equal opportunity employer.
- **Career progression**: Focus on impact and potential over rigid experience thresholds; opportunities to shift roles if a better fit is found.
- **Perks**: Personal development budget, learning opportunities, and a global, inclusive environment.

## Sources
1. [canonical.com/careers](https://canonical.com/careers)
2. [canonical.com/company](https://canonical.com/company)
3. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/canonical](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/canonical)
4. [canonical.com/blog/hiring-the-canonical-way](https://canonical.com/blog/hiring-the-canonical-way)

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