Software Engineering Manager - Cross-platform C++ - Multipass

Software Engineering Manager – Cross-Platform C++ – Multipass

At Canonical, we empower the world’s most innovative enterprises and technology leaders with cutting-edge open-source solutions. Our flagship platform, Ubuntu, is the backbone of transformative initiatives in public cloud infrastructure, AI-driven data science, engineering innovation, and IoT ecosystems. Trusted by global cloud providers, silicon manufacturers, and industry pioneers, Canonical is a founder-led, profitable, and rapidly expanding organization committed to fostering global collaboration. With a workforce of over 1,200 colleagues spanning 80+ countries, we thrive in a remote-first culture, meeting in person 2–4 times annually in inspiring global locations to align on strategy and execution.

We are seeking a Software Engineering Manager to lead the development of Multipass, the revolutionary workstation mini-cloud that delivers a seamless, local cloud experience directly on developers’ machines. With native support for macOS, Windows, and Linux, Multipass enables users to launch virtual machines with a single command—multipass launch—eliminating the need for a full cloud infrastructure. This tool empowers developers to run background builds, test cloud appliances, experiment with cloud-init scripts, and deploy custom cloud solutions—all free of charge—while maintaining full control and flexibility on their local workstations.

As a Software Engineering Manager at Canonical, your primary responsibility is to lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing engineering team while driving the technical vision for Multipass. This role demands a proven track record in technical leadership, a passion for mentorship, and the ability to foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous growth. You will be expected to:

• Lead a distributed team of remote engineers, ensuring alignment, accountability, and high-impact delivery.
• Develop talent through targeted coaching, mentorship, and career development initiatives, empowering engineers to reach their full potential.
• Set and manage expectations with cross-functional teams, senior leadership, and external stakeholders to ensure strategic objectives are met.
• Advocate for modern software development practices, including agile methodologies, clean code standards, and scalable architectures.
• Engage in technical decision-making through code reviews, architectural evaluations, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Bridge Canonical’s engineering teams with the broader open-source community and industry partners to drive innovation.

This is a remote-first opportunity available to candidates in the EMEA and Americas regions, with 4–6 weeks of global travel per year for in-person team sprints, conferences, and strategic alignment meetings.

To excel in this role, you must possess:

• A proven record of leading successful engineering teams, with a focus on collaboration, innovation, and high-quality software delivery.
• Extensive experience in modern C++ development, including cross-platform optimization and performance tuning.
• Hands-on expertise in cross-platform development, with deep knowledge of macOS and Windows ecosystems.
• Familiarity with hypervisor technologies such as Hyper-V, VirtualBox, and KVM, with a focus on lightweight virtualization solutions.
• A strong background in open-source contributions, including community engagement, code reviews, and collaborative development.
• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, STEM, or a related field, complemented by exceptional technical communication skills—both written and verbal.

At Canonical, we believe in recognizing and rewarding excellence. Our compensation model is globally competitive, with annual reviews based on performance, experience, and geographical location. In addition to a base salary, we offer:

• A performance-driven annual bonus or commission.
• A USD 2,000 annual learning and development budget to support professional growth.
• Recognition rewards to celebrate outstanding contributions.
• Flexible, globally balanced benefits designed to meet local needs while ensuring fairness and inclusivity.
• Twice-yearly in-person team sprints in inspiring global locations to foster connection and collaboration.

Join Canonical and take the lead in shaping the future of developer tools. If you are a technical leader with a passion for mentorship, innovation, and open-source collaboration, we invite you to apply and help us redefine how developers interact with cloud technology—right from their workstations.