Remote opportunity at
CanonicalGeneral Counsel
Canonical seeks a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance division, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. Canonical operates as a profitable, privately…
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About This Role
Canonical seeks a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance division, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. Canonical operates as a profitable, privately held technology enterprise focused on open source solutions, with Ubuntu as its flagship platform. The company serves major cloud providers, silicon vendors, and various industry leaders across multiple sectors. Operating globally with a distributed workforce in EMEA time zones, Canonical has plans for a…
Job Description
Canonical seeks a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance division, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. Canonical operates as a profitable, privately held technology enterprise focused on open source solutions, with Ubuntu as its flagship platform. The company serves major cloud providers, silicon vendors, and various industry leaders across multiple sectors. Operating globally with a distributed workforce in EMEA time zones, Canonical has plans for a future public exchange listing.
This role suits an accomplished, commercially driven senior lawyer who possesses deep familiarity with the software sector and open source ecosystems. The position entails directing regulatory frameworks, intellectual property strategies, corporate governance, and commercial contracting while preparing the enterprise for public-market operations. The selected professional will manage a distributed team spanning EMEA and the Americas, advise executive leadership and the Board of Directors, and collaborate closely with product, engineering, security, and finance departments.
Responsibilities
- Lead the global Legal and Compliance department, establishing standards, priorities, and structure across the Americas and EMEA
- Hire, develop, and manage regional legal leaders while setting clear performance standards
- Establish operational workflows for legal intake, internal client service expectations, and risk reporting for leadership
- Partner with Finance to prepare the organization for public-market readiness regarding governance, entity structure, records, and controls
- Advise the CEO, COO, CFO, and the Board of Directors during meetings and strategic planning
- Manage the commercial contracting framework including standard templates, negotiation terms, and escalation pathways
- Direct intellectual property and open source licensing strategy covering trademark, copyleft, and product distribution terms
- Oversee the worldwide compliance program addressing data privacy, trade controls, anti-bribery, competition, and AI regulations
- Direct dispute resolution, regulatory engagement, and the external counsel panel along with its budget
- Provide counsel on mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, strategic alliances, and financing activities
Requirements
- Degree in law or equivalent, with an active license to practice in an EMEA or Americas jurisdiction
- Substantial senior in-house legal experience within a global technology or software organization
- Demonstrated history of leading distributed legal teams and managing regional managers
- Track record of setting performance bars, developing personnel, and addressing underperformance directly
- Experience building or restructuring an internal legal function
- Expertise in negotiating commercial technology agreements, enterprise software contracts, channel agreements, and cloud services
- Familiarity with open source licensing principles and community operations
- Exposure to or readiness for public company governance and listing preparation
- Specialized depth in at least two areas among data protection, privacy, IP, trademark, trade controls, competition, or disputes
- Professional written and spoken English proficiency with strong drafting and presentation capabilities
Qualifications
- Exceptional academic track record from high school and university
- Prior experience taking a company through an initial public offering
- Experience practicing as counsel inside a publicly listed company
- Technical or engineering background with fluency in software development and shipping
- Familiarity with subscription or recurring-revenue business models
- Professional qualifications in more than one legal jurisdiction
Core Skills
Benefits
- Compensation determined by geographical location, experience, and performance with annual reviews
- Performance-driven annual bonus or commission structure
- Distributed work environment featuring twice-yearly in-person team sprints
- Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 annually
- Company recognition rewards
- 40 days of annual leave which includes public holidays and company holiday periods
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Team Member Assistance Program and wellness platform
- International travel opportunities for company events alongside Priority Pass lounge access
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Where is this General Counsel position located?
The role is based remotely in EMEA time zones, with international travel required two to four times per year for company events.
What is the employment type for this role?
The posting specifies that this is a full-time position.
Does the job posting disclose the salary?
No, the job posting does not specify a salary amount, though it notes that compensation is shaped by geographical location, experience, and performance, and includes a performance-driven annual bonus or commission.
Who does the General Counsel report to?
The General Counsel reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer.
Sample Interview Questions
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