Jobs
My ads
My job alerts
Sign in
Find a job Career Tips Companies
Find

Linux kernel engineer

Melbourne
Canonical
Posted: 14 September
Offer description

Join to apply for the
Linux Kernel Engineer - Ubuntu
role at
Canonical
2 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants
Join to apply for the
Linux Kernel Engineer - Ubuntu
role at
Canonical
Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is very widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office-based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution.
The company is founder-led, profitable, and growing.
Canonical has a large and rapidly growing kernel team that underpins Ubuntu and open source more widely across a very wide range of hardware and use cases. We partner with the biggest kernel contributors - the silicon companies - to ensure that their work reaches the widest possible audience as quickly as possible, with a 10 year enterprise security commitment.
The Canonical Linux Kernel Organization has teams in every time zone. We have opportunities for technical leadership, engineering management, and engineering directorships. The team is responsible for all supported Ubuntu Linux kernels, on all platforms and architectures from small embedded devices to standard desktop/server systems to large scale cloud environments, mainframes and supercomputers.
We care most about hardware and virtualization enablement, security, reliability and performance. There are a number of areas where we lead upstream, but for the most part we are interested in ensuring production readiness and performance for the latest patch-sets, rather than subsystem maintenance or evolution.
Kernel Team projects include but are not limited to:
Ubuntu Linux kernel plan, execution, benchmarking and stress testing
Optimized kernels for key silicon and cloud partners
Confidential computing and next-generation security primitives
Developer platforms such as Raspberry Pi and RISC-V
Enabling Ubuntu on a wide range of embedded systems
Kernel Livepatch, which delivers critical kernel fixes without rebooting
FIPS compliance
Real-Time and Low Latency kernel variants and patch-sets
Virtualization or abstraction engines
Container technology
Security with AppArmor, SECCOMP, namespaces and more
Networking - in particular performance and security
Storage - we are particularly interested in Ceph and DRBD
We hire candidates of all experience levels from recent university graduates through seasoned industry experts. We select those who are enthusiastic to work in multiple areas including security mitigation, feature development, patching and test. You must have outstanding academic results, a background in software engineering, be motivated to work in a distributed team and willing to travel globally twice a year for company engineering events.
Location:
Working from home, worldwide. We have kernel teams and openings in every time zone and – with the notable exception of Taipei, Taiwan – have no offices and therefore no pressure to work from an office.
What the role entails
Collaborate regularly and proactively with a globally distributed team
Work closely with external silicon, cloud, or hardware manufacturer delivery teams on bleeding-edge platforms
Diagnose and resolve issues in the kernel reported by customers, the community, and discovered by your own rigorous testing
Take personal responsibility for the delivery of a flavour of the Ubuntu Linux kernel
Improve tooling and automation for delivery and test of Ubuntu Linux kernels
Submit, review, and apply kernel patches, working with both internal and external upstream maintainers
What we are looking for in you
Significant programming experience in C, with Python, Golang, or other like languages is also highly regarded
Experience with operating system kernel internals and concepts, Linux would be highly regarded but not essential
Solid background with git
Experience with Linux (Debian or Ubuntu preferred)
Professional written and spoken English with excellent presentation skills
Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks each
Nice-to-have skills
Strong grasp of device drivers, BSP's, and other low level system engineering
Prior experience developing with software packaging formats, with direct Ubuntu/Debian/Snap experience being highly regarded
Understanding of Linux kernel upstream processes and release cycle
Performance engineering and security experience
Solid background in CI/CD and process automation
Prior public involvement with an open source project
What we offer colleagues
We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognize outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. We provide all team members with additional benefits which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.
Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person
Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
Annual compensation review
Recognition rewards
Annual holiday leave
Maternity and paternity leave
Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform
Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events
About Canonical
Canonical is a pioneering tech firm 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 for AI, IoT, and the cloud, we are changing the world of software. We recruit on a global basis and set a very high standard for people joining the company. We expect excellence; in order to succeed, we need to be the best at what we do. Most colleagues at Canonical have worked from home since our inception in 2004. Working here is a step into the future and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.
Canonical is an equal opportunity employer
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.
Seniority level
Seniority level
Entry level
Employment type
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Job function
Information Technology
Industries
Software Development
Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Canonical by 2x
Get notified about new Linux Engineer jobs in
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2 months ago
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1 month ago
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1 week ago
Embedded Linux Senior Software Engineer - Optimisation
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1 month ago
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1 month ago
C++/Rust Graphics and Windowing System Software Engineer - Mir
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 11 hours ago
We're unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.
#J-18808-Ljbffr

Send an application
Create a job alert
Alert activated
Saved
Save
Similar jobs
jobs Melbourne
jobs Victoria
Home > Jobs > Linux Kernel Engineer

About Jobstralia

  • Career Advice
  • Company Reviews

Search for jobs

  • Jobs by job title
  • Jobs by sector
  • Jobs by company
  • Jobs by location

Contact / Partnership

  • Contact
  • Publish your job offers on Jobijoba

Legal notice - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy - Manage my cookies - Accessibility: Not compliant

© 2025 Jobstralia - All Rights Reserved

Send an application
Create a job alert
Alert activated
Saved
Save