Ubuntu Package Management - Engineering Manager

About the team

The Ubuntu Foundations Package Management team develops and maintains the software management infrastructure that underpins every Ubuntu system. The team owns core technologies including APT, dpkg, firmware management, and driver management, balancing innovation with the stability required for a global Linux distribution.

The Role

We are looking for a Software Engineering Manager to lead this team. This is a technical leadership role combining people management with active engineering involvement. You will define technical direction, grow engineering talent, and build strong cross-team partnerships.

What You’ll Do

Technical Leadership

• Define the technical vision and roadmap for Ubuntu's package management and system lifecycle platform.
• Participate in design reviews and key technical decisions.
• Promote high standards for performance, reliability, security, and maintainability.

Team Leadership

• Lead and support a team of engineers responsible for key Ubuntu platform technologies.
• Mentor and grow engineers, helping them expand their technical leadership and organizational impact.
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Delivery and Engineering Excellence

• Plan and deliver improvements across multiple Ubuntu release cycles.
• Balance innovation with stability, compatibility, and long-term maintainability.
• Improve test automation, release quality, and operational reliability.

Collaboration and Community

• Build strong partnerships across Ubuntu Engineering (Release Engineering, Launchpad, Desktop, Server, Security, OEM, and Product).
• Collaborate with Debian, upstream projects, and the Ubuntu open source community.

What We Are Looking For

Required

• Exceptional academic track record (high school and university).
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or STEM (or a compelling alternative path).
• Strong background in software engineering and system design.
• Experience leading engineering teams, including people management and coaching.
• Experience developing or operating Linux distribution technologies, package management systems, or software distribution infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of systems software and operating system architecture.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a globally distributed team.
• Ability to travel twice a year for company events (up to two weeks each).

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with package repositories, archives, or release engineering processes.
• Experience contributing to Debian, Ubuntu, or other open source infrastructure projects.
• Performance, reliability, or security engineering experience.