Remote opportunity at
CanonicalGeneral Counsel (Office based)
Canonical is hiring a General Counsel to lead its global legal and compliance function. The post reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Canonical is a technology…
Career Tools
About This Role
Canonical is hiring a General Counsel to lead its global legal and compliance function. The post reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Canonical is a technology company that makes a profit, is expanding quickly, and is privately held, with a stock market listing planned for the future. It publishes Ubuntu and works with enterprise customers, public cloud providers and silicon partners. The role is office-based in London, UK. The General…
Job Description
Canonical is hiring a General Counsel to lead its global legal and compliance function. The post reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Canonical is a technology company that makes a profit, is expanding quickly, and is privately held, with a stock market listing planned for the future. It publishes Ubuntu and works with enterprise customers, public cloud providers and silicon partners.
The role is office-based in London, UK. The General Counsel leads legal and compliance across EMEA and the Americas and manages a distributed team in both regions. The posting puts emphasis on building the management layer, setting the function's structure and priorities, and building the governance, deal-making frameworks and checks that a listed firm needs, in a company that breaks with industry habits.
Duties include hiring and developing managers, setting objectives and reviewing performance against a clear standard, and dealing directly with underperformance. The post sets the function's operating rhythm, including how legal work is taken in and prioritised, and gives the leadership team regular updates on workload and exposure. It is responsible for corporate governance, entity structure, delegated authority, policies and disclosure controls, working with Finance. It advises the CEO, COO, CFO and Board, and attends Board and committee meetings.
The General Counsel also owns the commercial contracting framework, including standard templates and an escalation process for deviations, and takes charge of IP and open-source licence planning, covering copyleft and trademark questions. The role oversees the global compliance programme covering data protection, export controls, anti-bribery, competition and AI regulation. It also manages litigation, disputes, regulatory engagement and the external counsel panel, and advises on M&A, partnerships and financing.
Candidates need a law degree or the equivalent, and a live right to practise in a jurisdiction in EMEA or the Americas, plus extensive time in an internal legal role at an international technology company. Past leadership of a legal team spread across regions, along with negotiating technology contracts and advising on open-source licences, is required. No salary is stated.
Responsibilities
- Lead the worldwide legal and compliance function across EMEA and the Americas
- Hire, develop and performance-manage legal managers
- Set the operating rhythm, intake and prioritisation of legal work
- Give the leadership team regular updates on workload and exposure
- Lead corporate governance, entity structure, delegated authority and disclosure controls
- Advise the CEO, COO, CFO and Board, and attend Board and committee meetings
- Own the commercial contracting framework and escalation process
- Lead IP and open source licensing strategy
- Own the global compliance programme, including data protection and export controls
- Manage litigation, disputes and the external counsel panel
- Advise on M&A, partnerships and financing
Requirements
- Exceptional academic record from high school and university
- A law qualification with a live practising licence in a jurisdiction in EMEA or the Americas
- Significant senior in-house service inside an international tech or software firm
- Past leadership of a legal team spread across regions and time zones
- Track record of setting a high performance bar and handling underperformance directly
- Track record creating or reshaping an internal legal department
- Experience negotiating technology contracts and advising on open source licensing
- Depth in at least two areas such as privacy, IP, export controls, competition or disputes
- Polished English for drafting contracts and presenting, spoken and written
- Travel abroad two to four times annually for events lasting up to a fortnight
Qualifications
- Work on a company's path to a stock market listing, or as in-house counsel at a listed firm
- A tech or engineering past, or a grasp of how software gets built and released
- Experience with subscription or recurring-revenue business models
- Credentials recognised in several jurisdictions
Core Skills
Benefits
- Yearly learning budget of USD 2,000 for personal development
- Face-to-face team gatherings twice a year
- Pay reviewed twice a year, plus recognition awards
- Forty days of paid annual leave, counting public holidays and company-wide closure periods
- Paid maternity and paternity leave
- Team member support programme and wellness platform
- Opportunities to travel to new cities, with 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 role based?
The role is based in Canonical's office in London, UK.
Who does the General Counsel report to?
The role reports to the Chief Operating Officer.
What licence is required?
The posting requires a live licence to practise in a jurisdiction in EMEA or the Americas, along with a law degree or equivalent.
Is a salary stated?
The posting does not specify a salary.
Sample Interview Questions
AI-generated questions tailored to this specific role — a preview of the full practice set.
