Usability Engineer - User Science

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.

We are hiring a Usability Engineer for our Design Team.

User Science is an evolving design discipline le we have long incorporated diverse research on user needs into our products, the mission of the newly formed User Science team is to expand beyond traditional models of UX research, integrating user needs end-to-end in development processes and quality standards across the company.

This mission requires skillful advocacy as well as organizational learning and change. As process pioneers, we draw insights from others, foster collaborative user research cultures, and constantly innovate with frameworks and standards.

Location:

This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region.

• 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:
  Contribute to the evolving definition of User Science through user-centered training, resource development, and outreach.

• 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.

• Experience with Linux.
• Some conceptual knowledge of container tech (such as LXD, Docker, Kubernetes), Open Stack 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…