C

Community Engineer (multiple roles and seniority levels)

Canonical

Remote OK
Home based - Worldwide
Worldwide
US hours

Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants

This remote ok full time position at Canonical is open worldwide, so South Africans can apply. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa — whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.

Job Description

<p>Our ambition is to set a standard of excellence when it comes to serving the open source ecosystem. This is your chance to be a part of that as a <strong>Community Engineer at Canonical</strong>.</p>
<p>We are building community management at scale. We have multiple positions available, at different seniority levels.</p>
<p><strong>All applications and candidates are handled through this single entry point.</strong></p>
<p>To improve your chances of success in this application, read our advice on <a href="https://canonical.com/blog/how-to-get-a-job-at-canonical">how to get a job at Canonical</a>.</p>
<h2>The role of a Community Engineer</h2>
<p>The Community team at Canonical enables community leaders and participants to get things done, co-ordinating with Canonical teams and ensuring that community processes are efficient and well run. We don't do the work of the community, but we facilitate that work to ensure that energetic and ambitious community members with their own vision of open source can benefit from the work Canonical does and bring their own flavor of Ubuntu into being, to meet the needs and express the interests of their community. You will play a key role in designing, executing, and scaling initiatives that foster a thriving community.</p>
<p>This is an exciting opportunity for a technically proficient person who is passionate about open source software, Linux, and sustainable community building.</p>
<p>In this role, you will support community initiatives with your technical skills and strong organizational skills. You work hand in hand with developers to smooth processes and integrate community plans with Canonical plans for maximum impact. You can encourage and facilitate the creation of new technical projects that enhance the community contribution experience, and you represent community interests to Canonical teams. You will lead complex, multi-disciplinary programs from conception through launch, working closely with Developer Relations engineers, technical authors, product managers, marketing teams, engineering teams, and external partners.</p>
<p>You will support and engage with volunteer developers in the Ubuntu community, addressing their concerns and helping them to create successful tools. You will help to ensure their success and the overall autonomy and sustainability of projects.</p>
<p>You will provide the content and technical support to ensure the community stays engaged and informed. This will include regular blog and social media posts about community initiatives, events, accomplishments, and collaborative efforts between Canonical and the Ubuntu community.</p>
<p>You will communicate effectively with developers and software engineers and represent not only the Ubuntu community but Canonical as a contributor to the wider Linux ecosystem. Our team attends conferences and expos, and talks about technical community projects and their development processes.</p>
<p><strong>Location</strong>: These are fully remote roles, open to candidates across the globe.</p>
<h2>What your day will look like</h2>
<ul>
<li>Write high quality content to promote and support community initiatives</li>
<li>Discuss ideas and collaborate on finding good solutions to community problems</li>
<li>Work from home with global travel 2 to 4 weeks for internal and external events</li>
<li>Potential opportunity to travel more if you wish</li>
<li>Nurture community contributions to Ubuntu</li>
<li>Engage with the Ubuntu community through Discourse, Matrix, social media, conferences, etc.</li>
<li>Represent Ubuntu via speaking engagements at events and conferences</li>
<li>Support the engagement by Canonical teams into the open source ecosystem</li>
</ul>
<h2>What we are looking for in you</h2>
<ul>
<li>You love technology and working with brilliant people</li>
<li>You are curious, flexible, articulate, and accountable</li>
<li>You value soft skills and are passionate, enterprising, thoughtful, and self-motivated</li>
<li>You have experience with developer tools and open source projects</li>
<li>You have a clear public record of accomplishments (talks, blog posts, GitHub, X, etc.)</li>
<li>You have interest and experience with some of the following: Ubuntu Linux - kernel or userspace, DevOps, software development, testing and QA, package management, container technology</li>
<li>You can work autonomously and assume full ownership of objectives as needed</li>
<li>You can be flexible with your time and enjoy working with new technology in a fast-paced environment</li>
<li>You are experienced working with open source communities and understand the workflow of volunteer contributors</li>
<li>You have experience in (technical) program management and have excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills</li>
</ul>
<h2>Additional skills that you might also bring</h2>
<ul>
<li>Experience with community management</li>
<li>Experience with Developer advocacy</li>
<li>Experience as a software developer

Tips for South African Applicants

Timezone Advantage

South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.

Salary in Context

Even without a listed salary, international remote roles typically pay 2-3x more than equivalent local positions in South Africa due to the exchange rate advantage.

Application Tips

Tailor your CV to international standards — use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.

Load Shedding Preparedness

If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.

About Canonical

Canonical is a company in the Operations industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 230 open positions on Hirezar. View all Canonical jobs →