Rust Engineering Lead – Linux and Open Source

Canonical is hiring a Rust Engineering Lead – Linux and Open Source to help bring memory-safe Rust to the heart of Ubuntu and the wider open source ecosystem. This is a full-time role open to candidates across Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

About the Role

Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu, a platform trusted across public cloud, data science, AI, engineering, and IoT by many of the world's leading silicon and cloud providers. We are recruiting Rust Engineering Leads at every level of seniority to champion Rust across our portfolio — beginning with Ubuntu and extending into our own products and community projects. We view Rust as the natural successor to C and C++ for system-level work, and we want to reimagine the foundations of future Linux systems with Rust at the centre: firmware, embedded software, bootloaders, the kernel, input handling, and right up to the desktop. We also aim to make Ubuntu the finest environment available for Rust development. This single application covers Rust openings on all relevant teams; after a first interview round we will match you to the product team that best fits your interests.

Key Responsibilities

• Build well-tested, well-documented software in Rust
• Promote Rust adoption within Canonical and across upstream projects
• Pinpoint codebases and initiatives that are strong candidates for Rust
• Investigate and resolve issues raised by users
• Take part in code reviews and architectural discussions
• Co-author technical specifications with colleagues and the community
• Improve engineering and operational practices, and where relevant deploy and run the services your team builds

Qualifications

• A strong academic record at secondary and university level, with a degree in Computer Science or another STEM field — or a convincing account of your alternative route
• Hands-on experience designing and writing high-quality Rust software on Linux
• Genuine enthusiasm for Linux at the system level, ideally across several distributions
• For senior positions, experience delivering and operating distributed systems and APIs
• Self-motivated, organised, and reliable at meeting commitments
• Fluent written and spoken English, with excellent interpersonal skills in a multicultural setting
• Willingness to travel twice yearly for company events of up to two weeks each
• Nice to have: experience with Ubuntu, LXD, MicroK8s, snapd, Juju, Ubuntu Core, Ubuntu Pro, IoT, performance engineering, or security

About Canonical

Founder-led, profitable, and growing, Canonical is a pioneer of globally distributed work with 1,200+ colleagues in 75+ countries. Most have worked from home since the company was founded in 2004, meeting in person at team sprints two to four times a year. We set an exceptionally high bar and expect engineering excellence.

How to Apply

To apply, complete your application directly on this page, or you'll be redirected to the employer's application platform to finish submitting there.