Automotive Engineering Manager at Canonical | Open Source in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This is a senior technical leadership role at a globally recognized open source company, sitting at the intersection of embedded Linux, automotive safety standards, and engineering management — a rare and highly specialized combination.
Career development value: Automotive software is one of the fastest-growing domains in tech, driven by electrification and autonomous systems. Gaining hands-on experience bridging ISO 26262, SOTIF, and ASPICE compliance with open source delivery is a differentiated skill set with very few practitioners globally — commanding significant market premiums.
Compensation signals: Canonical does not publish salary bands. For a Technical Manager role at this level in automotive software, market benchmarks across North America and Western Europe typically range from $140,000–$220,000 USD equivalent annually. Canonical is known for geo-adjusted pay, which may mean lower numbers in LCOL regions.
Green flags:
- Reporting directly to a VP of Engineering — high visibility and executive exposure
- Canonical's 20+ year track record as a remote company suggests genuine async maturity
- Ubuntu's growing role in automotive (AUTOSAR, ROS 2, embedded IoT) means this team will likely grow significantly
- $2,000 L&D budget — modest but present; useful for certifications (e.g., Functional Safety Engineer)
Yellow flags:
- No published salary range may signal opaque compensation practices — ask early in the process
- The role spans both strategy AND hands-on technical delivery, which can be demanding at scale
Overall, this role is a strong career accelerator for experienced engineering managers wanting to own a high-growth vertical with deep technical and standards-compliance complexity.
Canonical has created a role for a Technical Manager, Automotive and Industrial with a passion for open source and precision engineering. Canonical provides secure and reliable products to industrial and automotive partners, bridging the gap between open-source innovation and industry-specific requirements — including stringent certification processes.
From the factory to the cloud by way of the car, Canonical is committed to providing the most secure and advanced platform for automotive innovation. Your role will include growing and leading a team of dedicated engineers, adapting Canonical's products to automotive and industrial-specific requirements. You will represent Canonical and Ubuntu in the industrial and automotive community and standards consortia.
You and your team will ensure Canonical's Linux distribution, products, and ways of working support standards addressing processes, cybersecurity, and safety concerns — including (but not limited to) IEC 61508, ISO 9001, ISO 21434, UNECE R155 & R156, ISO 26262 ASIL (B to D), and ASPICE. You will also be expected to lead, challenge, and positively influence culture, and work with your team on strategy and execution.
You will report directly to the Vice President of Engineering Excellence and work closely with the Automotive Product Manager to define and execute a vision and roadmap for automotive at Canonical.
Location: Globally remote role
What You'll Do
- Work with Product Management to refine the vision and strategy for automotive at Canonical
- Define and execute an engineering roadmap for the automotive team at Canonical
- Represent Ubuntu and Canonical in the automotive community, in front of customers, partners, and consortia
- Lead Canonical's Linux distribution and open source software strategy in Automotive
- Build and lead a globally distributed team of engineers; coordinate, guide, and oversee their work
- Develop skills through coaching, feedback, and hands-on technical leadership
- Set and manage expectations with other engineering teams, senior management, and external stakeholders
- Advocate and advance modern, agile software development practices
- Help develop and evangelize great engineering and organizational practices
- Grow a healthy, collaborative engineering culture in line with company values
- Work from home with international travel twice a year, up to two weeks at a time, for company events
Who You Are
- You have a strong software engineering, Linux, and open source background
- You have in-depth knowledge of Linux packages and embedded development
- You have knowledge of automotive and industry standards such as ISO 21434, ISO 26262, SOTIF, and IEC 61508, and have ideally led product development initiatives fulfilling compliance with one or more of these standards
- You have experience in C/C++ and Python programming
- You have practical experience in automotive, including functional safety, embedded systems, cloud, and related software trends
- You have experience leading, managing, coaching, and mentoring software developers
- You have a track record of timely delivery and high-quality software
- You love developing and growing people and have a track record of doing so
- You have experience working in an agile development environment
What We Offer You
Your base pay will depend on various factors including your geographical location, level of experience, knowledge, and skills. In addition to the benefits below, certain roles are also eligible for additional benefits and rewards including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on revenue or utilization. Canonical's compensation philosophy is to ensure equity right across the global workforce.
In addition to a competitive base pay, all team members receive additional benefits reflecting Canonical's values and ideals. Additional benefits may apply depending on work location — please ask your Talent Partner for details.
- Fully remote working environment — Canonical has been working remotely since 2004!
- Personal learning and development budget of $2,000 USD per annum
- Annual compensation review
- Recognition rewards
- Annual holiday leave
- Parental leave
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues at "sprints"
- Priority Pass for travel 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 — Canonical is changing the world on a daily basis. Canonical recruits on a global basis and sets a very high standard for people joining the company.
Canonical has been a remote-first company since its inception in 2004. Work at Canonical is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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