Ubuntu is the most widely used Linux distribution in the world, delivering kernels across a vast matrix of versions, architectures, and configurations – with up to 15 years of security and maintenance commitments for Long Term Support (LTS) releases. Ensuring the quality and reliability of these kernels demands a dedicated, systematic approach to testing at scale. The Canonical Kernel Team is looking for a Test Engineer to take ownership of our kernel testing strategy and infrastructure. You will design and maintain test plans covering functional correctness, stability, performance, and security. You will build and evolve automated test frameworks – including stress testing, fuzzing, code coverage analysis, and regression detection – that not only must remain effective across many concurrently supported kernel versions spanning years of maintenance, but must be able to scale with the high demand for Ubuntu kernels (currently more than 160 under active support). The successful candidate will bring strong Python skills, familiarity with Linux kernel internals, and experience building test infrastructure that scales. You will work closely with kernel engineers to catch regressions early, validate fixes, and ensure every kernel we ship meets the highest standards of reliability. Location: This role will be based remotely in the APAC region, except for Taipei, Taiwan, and Beijing, China, which are office-based locations. ## What your day will look like
Design, develop, and maintain comprehensive test plans covering functional correctness, stability, performance, and security for Ubuntu Linux kernels
Build and improve automated test infrastructure for continuous kernel quality validation across multiple kernel versions and architectures
Maintain long-lived test suites that evolve alongside Ubuntu’s many concurrently supported kernel versions spanning years of maintenance
Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines for continuous kernel quality validation
Conduct performance benchmarking and regression detection across kernel releases
Measure and improve kernel code coverage, identifying gaps in test coverage and creating tests to address them
Execute and analyze stress tests covering CPU scheduling, memory management, I/O subsystems, networking, and filesystem workloads
Develop and maintain fuzzing harnesses to discover kernel vulnerabilities and reliability issues using tools such as syzkaller, Trinity, or custom fuzzers
Collaborate regularly and proactively with a globally distributed team
Contribute to upstream test suites and testing frameworks
Document test methodologies, results, and coverage gaps
Additional skills that you might also bring
Familiarity with kernel fuzzing tools and techniques (e.g. syzkaller, Trinity, AFL, or custom harnesses)
Knowledge of kernel tracing and observability tools (e.g. ftrace, perf, bpftrace, eBPF)
Familiarity with static analysis tools (e.g. sparse, smatch, Coccinelle) as part of a testing workflow
Experience with fault injection frameworks (e.g. failslab, fail_make_request) for reliability testing
Prior experience with test infrastructure at scale (provisioning, orchestration, result aggregation)
Experience with Ubuntu/Debian packaging or Snap
Knowledge of virtualization technologies (KVM, QEMU) and container runtimes
Cloud infrastructure experience (AWS, GCP, Azure, or OpenStack)
Prior involvement with open source testing communities or projects
What we offer you
Your base pay will depend on various factors including your geographical location, level of experience, knowledge and skills. In addition to the benefits above, certain roles are also eligible for additional benefits and rewards including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on revenue or utilisation. Our compensation philosophy is to ensure equity right across our global workforce. In addition to a competitive base pay, we provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. Please note that additional benefits may apply depending on the work location and, for more information on these, you can ask in the later stages of the recruitment process. - Fully remote working environment - we’ve been working remotely since 2004! - Personal learning and development budget of 2,000USD 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
