Graduate Software Engineer, Open Source and Linux
Job Description
About the opportunity
Canonical is recruiting 2025 and 2026 graduates for Graduate Software Engineer opportunities across its global engineering teams.
Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu and develops open-source software and operating systems used in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data science, IoT, containers and enterprise technology.
This is a full-time, globally remote role. Most engineering teams work from home and are organised around EMEA, APAC or Americas time zones. Team members also attend in-person international company events approximately twice per year.
The successful candidate may work across open-source products and commercial systems using technologies such as Python, Golang, Rust, C/C++, JavaScript, Java, Linux, cloud platforms, containers, Kubernetes, embedded systems and related technologies.
Key responsibilities
• Write high-quality, resilient and efficient software.
• Contribute to the design and development of open-source products and business systems.
• Develop practical knowledge of Linux systems and relevant programming languages.
• Participate in code reviews, issue tracking and open-source community engagement.
• Help shape product roadmaps during company engineering sprints.
• Respond to user and customer issues and develop an understanding of enterprise requirements.
• Apply security awareness throughout software design and implementation.
• Collaborate with distributed engineering teams across relevant time zones.
• Attend international company events approximately twice per year.
Requirements
• A first undergraduate degree completed, or expected to be completed, in 2025 or 2026.
• An undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Business Informatics, Mathematics or another STEM discipline that included programming courses.
• A strong academic record at secondary-school and university level.
• Ability to produce high-quality code in at least one of the following: Python, Rust, C, C++, Golang, JavaScript or Java.
• Experience using Ubuntu or another Linux distribution.
• Personal software or technology projects completed outside formal coursework.
• Strong written and spoken English.
• Good organisational, interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work productively and independently in a remote environment.
• Ability to travel internationally approximately twice per year for company events lasting up to two weeks.
Skills that may be beneficial
• Contributions to open-source projects.
• Experience packaging software for Linux distributions.
• Familiarity with Debian, Fedora, Arch, Nix or another Linux distribution.
• Leadership and organisational experience.
• Presentation and writing skills.
• Interest in commercial and business applications of technology.
Compensation and benefits
Canonical states that compensation is determined according to geographical location, experience and performance. The Employer does not disclose a numerical salary for this vacancy.
The Employer lists benefits that may include:
• A performance-related annual bonus or commission.
• An annual compensation review.
• A personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year.
• Annual leave.
• Maternity and paternity leave.
• Recognition awards.
• A team-member assistance and wellness programme.
• International travel for company events.
• Travel-related benefits for qualifying long-haul company events.
Employment information
Location: Globally remote, including South Africa
Work arrangement: Remote
Employment type: Full-time graduate opportunity
Working schedule: Monday to Friday, aligned with the relevant regional engineering team
Travel: International travel approximately twice per year
Salary: Not disclosed
Closing date: Not disclosed by the Employer
Last verified by OpportunityZA: 20 October 2026
Important application notice
OpportunityZA sourced this vacancy from Canonical’s official recruitment page and independently checked the application link on 20 October 2026. Canonical did not submit this vacancy directly to OpportunityZA and is not represented as an OpportunityZA partner.
Applications are completed on Canonical’s external recruitment platform and will not appear under My Applications on OpportunityZA.
Canonical requires applicants to submit application answers in their own words. The Employer states that plagiarism or the use of AI-generated application responses may result in disqualification.
Please confirm the vacancy details and availability on the Employer’s website before applying. Never pay an application, interview, training or placement fee, and never provide passwords, banking PINs or one-time authentication codes.
