Remote opportunity at
CanonicalSenior Organisational Development Practitioner
Canonical's Talent Development group aims to make its leaders and managers consistently strong. It defines what good management looks like at the company and raises leaders…
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About This Role
Canonical's Talent Development group aims to make its leaders and managers consistently strong. It defines what good management looks like at the company and raises leaders to that bar through direct, hands-on work, delivered from the central team and from placements inside engineering and commercial units. A Senior Organisational Development Practitioner sets the standard for coaching and organizational development within that effort. The job is remote, with positions open across…
Job Description
Canonical's Talent Development group aims to make its leaders and managers consistently strong. It defines what good management looks like at the company and raises leaders to that bar through direct, hands-on work, delivered from the central team and from placements inside engineering and commercial units. A Senior Organisational Development Practitioner sets the standard for coaching and organizational development within that effort. The job is remote, with positions open across EMEA and the Americas.
The practitioner coaches leaders toward a clear management-excellence benchmark. Work includes helping leaders handle hard conversations and turning 360-degree feedback into commitments that actually get carried out. The practitioner also looks at how an entire organization is run, identifies what needs to change, and drives the plan to improve it.
Assignments alternate between the central team and periods spent inside a leader's unit, where the practitioner works without formal authority. Lessons from those placements are fed back into how Canonical grows its leaders and managers, and into new working habits across a distributed company. The role also builds up the practitioners who work in the field and helps refine the management standard itself.
The post is one of the toughest talent positions at the company, given how senior it is. It calls for deep, hands-on coaching and OD craft with real leaders and teams, and a record of measurably changing how people lead. The practitioner must be credible in front of directors and clear about development philosophy, including being frank when a role or a fit decision is the better answer.
Applicants should show a strong academic background through school and university, write and speak English well, and be ready to travel up to four times annually for internal gatherings. Canonical describes its values as precision, reliability, accessibility and adroitness, and expects candidates to share them. Consulting, workshop design and competency-framework experience are seen as advantages.
Responsibilities
- Coach leaders to lift their performance against a clear management-excellence benchmark
- Guide leaders through difficult conversations as part of coaching
- Convert 360-degree feedback into commitments that get delivered
- Diagnose how a unit is led in the early weeks of an embedded placement and drive an improvement plan
- Help shape and roll out new ways of working across the distributed company
- Build the craft of practitioners in the field through supervision
- Set and uphold standards for coaching and organizational development
- Feed field lessons back into the management-excellence standard
Requirements
- Deep, hands-on coaching and OD work with real leaders and teams
- A record of shifting leader behavior in measurable ways, with examples to discuss
- Credibility with senior directors and the ability to earn it quickly
- Effectiveness inside another leader's unit without formal authority
- A clear and candid development philosophy, including on role and fit decisions
- Fluent written and spoken English
- Readiness to travel up to four times annually for internal gatherings
- Genuine motivation toward the company's mission and values
Qualifications
- Management-consulting background that suits ambiguous problems
- Coaching experience in a distributed, fast-moving technical setting
- Track record building competency or development frameworks
- Experience designing and running workshops or training, in person and online
- Judgment in designing learning content for development programs
- Talent development experience, valued alongside coaching and consulting
Core Skills
Benefits
- Remote-first setup with in-person team sprints twice a year
- Yearly USD 2,000 allowance for personal skill development
- Yearly pay review plus a performance-linked bonus
- Recognition awards and paid annual leave
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Confidential employee support program
- Trips to new cities to meet teammates, plus Priority Pass access and upgraded seats on long-haul trips
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Where is this Senior Organisational Development Practitioner role based?
The posting describes these as remote positions open across EMEA and the Americas.
What does the role focus on?
It centers on coaching leaders to a management-excellence benchmark, diagnosing how organizations are led, and developing other practitioners.
How often does the role require travel?
Candidates should be willing to travel up to four times annually for internal gatherings.
Is a salary stated?
No salary figure is given. The posting says pay considers location, experience and performance.
Sample Interview Questions
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