Product Manager - Desktop

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’s product management team are technologists who have a passion for delivering products and solutions that help shape market demands while elevating open source software everywhere. This is an application track for a product management position at Canonical on Ubuntu Desktop. Apply here if you excel at leadership, communication, and technical vision, and believe you can drive product strategy for the business and open source community needs of tomorrow.

We believe that open source is transforming the way that enterprises solve their business needs. Although open source has been around for thirty years, it is only now fundamental to every corner of the software landscape. Going forward we believe open source will have an even bigger impact as it moves into specialised vertical markets. Our goal is to make open source easier, more reliable and more secure for deployment and development. We strive to be the provider of ‘most software to most companies’, starting with Ubuntu but expanding to cover every class of application on every class of compute. To deliver on that ambition, we select product managers for their intellect and strong drive to advance the open source community. Together, we aim to improve open source quality, outreach, and impact. Our product managers set the vision and the direction to ensure teams deliver the right products in the right markets at the right time. They push the boundaries of the technology landscape to identify and deliver products into new and existing market opportunities.

Ubuntu is the world's favourite Linux, used by developers around the world. Canonical has created a line of products and services that address primary challenges for those developing and deploying software. If you have a deep empathy for the developer and administrator experience as well as a drive to deliver the best open source desktop operating system in the world, then you will love being part of our team.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a competitive technology leader to:

• Drive the vision of our desktop experience

• Lead the roadmap of our desktop product

• Drive our partnership with silicon vendors and OEMs

• Contribute to the largest Linux open source community

• Define future business models taking into account the competitive landscape

• Engage with the the Ubuntu user community, key partners, HW manufacturers, and leading customers, enabling commercial success and driving go-to-market 

This role encompasses product leadership and go-to-market strategy, ensuring that the product vision is translated into actionable plans and successful market launches. Our product managers are technology professionals with a software engineering background who strive to become business executives and entrepreneurs. We discuss strategy, plan product development, drive engagement, and promote the open source way. We oversee the entire product lifecycle from conception to delivery, blending technical expertise, strategic thinking, analytics, project management skills and effective communication to ensure products meet both user needs and business objectives.

Location: This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region.

The role entails

• Lead the product development lifecycle, reviewing the priorities and goals for your product.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams such as engineering, design, marketing, and sales.

• Address common challenges across projects, align on priorities, enable informed decisions, and keep business execution on track.

• Conduct market research, analyse industry trends, and gather customer feedback to identify opportunities.

• Communicate your product vision, status updates, and key decisions to ensure alignment and manage expectations.

• Conduct usability testing, analyse user feedback, and iterate on the product to improve the user experience.

• Collaborate with marketing, sales, and support teams to develop go-to-market strategies, create product documentation, and provide training.

• Contribute to the success of our sales team in winning new opportunities, reviewing customer feedback and participating in customer meetings.

What we are looking for in you

• Exceptional academic results at high school and university

• Understanding of Linux and the wider open source software community

• Understanding of computer architecture, application development, enterprise IT, cloud or devices

• Passion to write about technologies and the tech landscape

• A strong work ethic, and personal interests aligned with the open source movement

• Curiosity, and the habit of continuous learning

• A strong sense of ownership

• Problem solving and the ability to innovate

• Outstanding communication skills in English, both verbal and written

• Ability to travel internationally up to 4 times a year for company events up to two weeks long

Nice-to-have skills

• Familiarity with the Linux open source software ecosystem including windows managers (GNOME, KDE), identity management solutions (Entra, Orca, LDAP), and application development frameworks

• Familiarity with the technology ecosystem including Silicon, IHV, ISV, ODM/OEMs, cloud service providers 

• Familiarity with data center, embedded and connected device technology and ecosystems

What we offer you

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 recognise 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

• Employee Assistance Program

• 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 its 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.

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