Linux Platform Integration - Ubuntu Systems Senior Engineer
Canonical
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>You will work across the full Linux stack from kernel through networking, virtualization and graphics to optimise Ubuntu, the world’s most widely used Linux desktop and server, for the latest silicon. </p>
<p>Our teams partner with specialist engineers from major silicon companies to integrate next-generation features and performance enhancements for upcoming hardware.</p>
<p>This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to have a meaningful impact on the adoption of Linux across multiple industries. The right candidate must be resourceful, articulate, and able to deliver on a wide variety of solutions across server, desktop and IoT technologies. Canonical offers a fun, fast-paced team environment and a career full of learning and development opportunities. </p>
<p>Location: This is a Globally remote role</p>
<h3>What your day will look like</h3>
<ul>
<li>Design and implement the best Ubuntu integration for the latest IoT desktop and server-class hardware platforms and software stacks</li>
<li>Work with partners to deliver an optimised, first class Ubuntu experience on their platforms</li>
<li>Take a holistic approach to the Ubuntu experience on partner platforms with inputs on technical plans, testing strategy, quality metrics</li>
<li>Participate as technical lead on customer engagements involving complete system architectures from cloud to edge</li>
<li>Help our partners integrate their apps, SDKs, build device OS images, and optimize applications with Ubuntu Core, Desktop and Server</li>
<li>Work with the most advanced operating systems and application technologies available in the enterprise world.</li>
</ul>
<p>Joining Canonical, you will partner with bright minds from all over the world, and work with an exciting set of new technologies in a fast growing company with a truly unique and ambitious vision to build a better platform with free software. You will work with customers on exciting IoT, desktop and server platforms and technologies, built to support different verticals: from robots to data centers, from telco to retail, as well as automotive.</p>
<h3>What we are looking for in you</h3>
<ul>
<li>You love technology and working with brilliant people</li>
<li>You have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, STEM or similar </li>
<li>You have experience with Linux packaging (Debian, RPM, Yocto)</li>
<li>You have experience working with open source communities and licences</li>
<li>You have experience working with Python, C, C++</li>
<li>You can work in a globally distributed team through self-discipline and self-motivation.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Nice to have</h3>
<ul>
<li>Experience with server technologies, including UEFI firmware, GPU computing, RDMA/Infiniband and virtualization stacks</li>
<li>Experience with graphics stacks</li>
<li>Good understanding of networking - TCP/IP, DHCP, HTTP/REST</li>
<li>Basic understanding of security best practices in IoT or server environments</li>
<li>Good communication skills, ideally public speaking experience</li>
<li>IoT / Embedded experience – from board and SoC, BMCs, bootloaders and firmware to OS, through apps and services</li>
<li>Experience working with CI automation platforms such as GitHub</li>
<li>Experience with performance benchmarking and profiling</li>
<li>Some experience with Docker/OCI containers/K8s</li>
</ul>
<h3>What we offer you</h3>
<ul>
<li>Learning and development opportunities</li>
<li>Annual compensation review</li>
<li>Recognition rewards</li>
<li>Annual leave</li>
<li>Priority Pass for travel</li>
</ul>
<p>Your base pay will depend on various factors including your geographical location, level of experience, knowledge and skills. In addition to the benefits above, certain roles are also eligible for additional benefits and rewards including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on revenue or utilisation. Our compensation philosophy is to ensure equity right across our global workforce. </p>
<p>In addition to a competitive base pay, we provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. Please note that additional benefits may apply depending on the work location and, for more information on these, you can ask in the later stages of the recruitment process.</p>
<ul>
<li>Fully remote working environment - we’ve been working remotely since 2004!</li>
<li>Personal learning and development budget of 2,000USD per annum</li>
<li>Annual compensation review</li>
<li>Recognition rewards</li>
<li>Annual holiday leave</li>
<li>Parental Leave</li>
<li>Employee Assistance Programme</li>
<li>Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues at ‘sprints’</li>
<li>Priority Pass for travel and travel upgrades for long haul company events</li>
</ul>
<h2>About Canonical</h2>
<p>Canonical is a pioneering tech firm that is 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
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.
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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 →