Usability Engineer - User Science
Canonical
WorldwideremotePosted 2 days ago
Skill Required
UX-ResearchUser-ResearchUsability-EngineeringDesign-ResearchDesignUsability-ResearcherUX-ResearcherUsability-TesterUser-Research-SpecialistUser Researchrelated fieldStatisticsKubernetesPrototypingEngineeringautomationdevelopingbuildingwrittenTestNGPythonMATLABPandasDockerdesignLinuxCloudandAIFulltime
Key highlights
- Remote position based in the EMEA region
- Fully remote since 2004
- Personal learning and development budget of 2,000 USD per annum
- Requires exceptional academic track record
- Requires Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Engineering, Data Science or similar (or alternative path narrative)
- Nice-to-have: experience with Linux and open source project contributions
Role overview
Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems, best known for Ubuntu, which powers breakthrough enterprise initiatives in public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. The company operates with 1200+ colleagues across 75+ countries in a fully remote, founder-led, profitable, and growing organization. We are hiring a Usability Engineer for our Design Team, within the newly formed User Science group. This team's mission is to expand beyond traditional UX research models, integrating user needs end-to-end across development processes and quality standards. The role combines user research expertise with technical prototyping, advocacy, and organizational change to foster a data-informed research culture.
Responsibilities
- Collecting and synthesizing user data: developing user insights in diverse formats, scientifically analyzing data from A/B tests, usability studies, and other methodologies to create compelling findings
- Prototyping for impact: building lightweight prototypes, data visualization dashboards, or automation scripts to enhance broader consumption of research
- Responding to audience needs: calibrating research presentations with sensitivity and precision in a highly technical environment, understanding what level of depth is right for each stakeholder
- Promoting a data-informed culture: working closely with process, product, and engineering teams to integrate user research into existing decision-making flows
- Building research scalability and interoperability: strengthening research ops infrastructure, making key methodologies more accessible, actionable, and repeatable
- Fostering a learning culture: contributing to the evolving definition of User Science through user-centered training, resource development, and outreach
Requirements
- Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related field such as Design, Engineering, Data Science or similar, or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path
- User research expertise: proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies, including user interviews, usability testing, A/B testing, surveys, and data analysis
- Tinkerer mindset: a passion for hacking, exploring, and building creative solutions, whether through technical prototyping, scripting, or research tooling
- A degree of technical fluency: ability to quickly pick up technical concepts, engage deeply with engineering and process optimization teams, and contribute to cross-functional discussions
- A talent for optimization: a strong alignment towards building research ops, systematizing best practices, and creating frameworks for broader knowledge-sharing
- Finely tuned communication skills: impeccable verbal and written communication abilities, characterized by warmth, precision, and a commitment to maintaining high-quality standards
- Portfolio: a robust portfolio showcasing a range of user research, design, or engineering projects that show a talent for exploration, optimization, and transforming insights into action
Nice to have
- Experience with Linux
- Some conceptual knowledge of container tech (such as LXD, Docker, Kubernetes), OpenStack deployment or operations, or public or private cloud management
- Some experience with or interest in data analysis frameworks in Python (e.g. pandas, seaborn), R, MATLAB or similar
- A proven track record of contributing to Open Source projects or communities
- A passion for aesthetics, visualization, or design
Benefits
- Fully remote working environment — the company has been working remotely since 2004
- Personal learning and development budget of 2,000 USD per annum
- Annual compensation review
- Recognition rewards
- Annual holiday leave
- Parental Leave
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues at 'sprints'
- Priority Pass for travel and travel upgrades for long haul company events
Additional details
- The company is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets
- Ubuntu is widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation and IoT
- Customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers and industry leaders in many sectors
- 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
- Base pay depends on various factors including geographical location, level of experience, knowledge and skills
- Certain roles are eligible for additional benefits and rewards including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on revenue or utilisation
- Compensation philosophy is to ensure equity across the global workforce
- Additional benefits may apply depending on work location; more information available in later stages of recruitment
- Role is based remotely in the EMEA region
- User Science is an evolving design discipline at Canonical; the team's mission is to expand beyond traditional models of UX research, integrating user needs end-to-end in development processes and quality standards
- The mission requires skillful advocacy as well as organizational learning and change; the team draws insights from others, fosters collaborative user research cultures, and constantly innovates with frameworks and standards
- Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source, publishing Ubuntu — one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud
- Recruits globally and sets a very high standard for people joining the company; expects excellence
- Has been a remote-first company since its inception in 2004; work challenges you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game
- Canonical is an equal opportunity employer; 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, applications receive fair consideration
- Originally posted on Himalayas