Graduate Software Engineer – Open Source and Linux (2025/2026 Graduates)

Canonical publishes Ubuntu, the Linux distribution behind a large share of the world's public cloud, AI, IoT and enterprise infrastructure. The company is founder-led, profitable, and genuinely distributed: 1,200+ colleagues across 75+ countries with very few office-based roles. Most people have worked from home since Canonical started in 2004.

This is a dedicated graduate intake for people completing their first undergraduate degree in 2025 or 2026, and it is globally remote.

The breadth on offer

Rather than hiring into one fixed team, Canonical places graduates across engineering teams worldwide and works with you to find projects matching your skills and interests. The range is genuinely wide:

• Languages typically include Python, Golang, Rust, C/C++, JavaScript and Bash
• Work spans the very lowest levels of Linux — BIOS, boot loaders, firmware, kernel and drivers — up through desktop applications and containers
• Hardware runs from Raspberry Pi and RISC-V boards to supercomputers, clouds and Kubernetes clusters
• Some teams package thousands of pieces of software; others contribute deeply to a single codebase
• Other teams focus on compilers, toolchains, security, cryptography, performance and documentation

How the work is organised

Teams are aligned to a single time zone where possible — EMEA, APAC or AMER — so that even working from home you have colleagues nearby to coach and mentor you, and for pair programming. Larger projects span multiple teams across the globe.

Canonical is direct about intensity: this is full-time work solving hard problems with real responsibility. They do not generally work nights or weekends and holidays are good, but they expect productive, intense engagement Monday to Friday.

All engineering teams gather in person twice a year for a deep sprint, which the company presents as both a development opportunity and a chance to visit cities you might never otherwise see.

The role entails

• Shaping your product's roadmap at global sprints every six months
• Focusing on design and user experience, including for developer tooling and command line apps
• Writing high quality, resilient code that may serve millions of demanding daily users
• Working toward mastery of key languages and Linux system knowledge
• Engaging with the open source community through code reviews and issue trackers
• Treating customer issues as a priority and building an understanding of enterprise requirements
• Developing security awareness in software design and implementation

What they are looking for

• Exceptional academic record from both high school and university
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Business Informatics, Mathematics or another STEM discipline with programming
• Confidence delivering quality code in one of Python, Rust, C/C++, Golang, JavaScript or Java
• Experience with Ubuntu or another Linux distribution
• Personal technology projects beyond the curriculum
• Professional written and spoken English
• Curiosity, flexibility, accountability and self-awareness
• Ability to travel internationally twice a year for events up to two weeks long

Nice to have

• Upstream open source contributions
• Packaging or distribution contributions to Debian, Fedora, Arch, Nix or similar
• Leadership, presentation and writing skills

Benefits

• Distributed work with twice-yearly in-person sprints
• USD 2,000 annual personal learning and development budget
• Annual compensation review plus performance-driven bonus
• Recognition rewards, annual holiday leave, maternity and paternity leave
• Team Member Assistance Program and wellness platform
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events

Three things to know before applying

AI use is disqualifying. The form requires you to confirm you used only your own words; plagiarism or generated content ends the application.

Eligibility is strict. You must confirm your first degree completes in 2025 or 2026. This fast-track route is only for that cohort.

The screening is unusually academic. Expect to state how you ranked in high-school mathematics and your native language, on bands reaching "top 0.01% in the region," and to justify those with reference to national exam systems. Canonical notes it has hired outstanding people without degrees, who may enter "no degree."

Canonical also says plainly that the process is highly competitive and will require real effort and excellence to succeed.