Usability Engineer - User Science
Job description
A Usability Engineer role in Canonical's Design Team, within the newly formed User Science team, focused on integrating user research end-to-end into development processes and quality standards. The role is based remotely in the EMEA region.
At a glance
- Work mode
- Remote · EMEA region
What you'll do
- 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.
What we're looking for
- 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.
Your team
Design Team / User Science team
User Science is an evolving design discipline at Canonical; the newly formed User Science team aims to expand beyond traditional models of UX research, integrating user needs end-to-end in development processes and quality standards across the company.
Benefits
- 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
Apply
About Canonical
A leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets
Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Its platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation and IoT. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office based roles. The company is founder led, profitable and growing.
Mission
Changing the world on a daily basis through open source; publishing Ubuntu, one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud.
Key facts
- 1200+ colleagues
- 2004
- Open source software and operating systems
- Publishes Ubuntu, one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud
- Remote-first company since its inception in 2004
- 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries
- Very few office based roles; teams meet two to four times yearly in person
- Founder led, profitable and growing
- Customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors
What they value
- Excellence
- Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background
- Equal opportunity