[Hiring] General Counsel @Canonical

Role Description

We are hiring a General Counsel, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO). This role leads Canonical’s global Legal and Compliance function. This is a unique opportunity for an exceptional and commercially-minded senior lawyer to lead the legal and compliance function of a profitable, fast-growing technology company that is privately held with the intention to list on a public exchange.

We’re looking for someone with genuine fluency in the software industry and in open source dynamics, who can translate that insight into clear positions on licensing, commercial contracts and risk, and hands-on execution.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, you will:

• Own Canonical's legal, regulatory and governance posture.
• Lead a distributed team across EMEA and the Americas.
• Continue building both the team and the architecture: a management layer across two regions, and the governance, contracting and controls a public company needs.
• Work closely with product and engineering teams on licensing and IP questions.
• Advise the Board and its committees directly.

Qualifications

• An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university.
• A degree in law, or equivalent, and an active licence to practice in an EMEA or Americas jurisdiction.
• Substantial senior in-house experience in a global technology or software business.
• Proven experience leading a distributed legal team, including managing managers across regions and time zones.
• A track record of setting and holding a high performance bar: hiring well, developing people, and dealing with under performance directly.
• Experience building or restructuring an in-house legal function.
• Technology related experience of negotiating and owning commercial technology contracts.
• Experience advising on open source licensing.
• Experience of, or demonstrable readiness for, public company governance.
• Depth in at least two of: data protection and privacy, IP and trademark, export controls and trade, competition, or disputes.
• Confidence to respectfully speak up, exchange feedback, hold colleagues accountable, and share ideas without hesitation.
• Professional written and spoken English with excellent drafting and presentation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability.
• International travel two to four times a year for company events up to two weeks long.

Requirements

• Experience taking a company through an IPO, or practicing as counsel inside a listed company.
• A technical or engineering background, or fluency in how software is built and shipped.
• Experience of a subscription or recurring-revenue business model.
• A qualification in more than one jurisdiction.

Benefits

• Geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide.
• Annual compensation review.
• Performance-driven annual bonus or commission.
• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year.
• Company recognition rewards.
• 40 days annual leave per annum, including public holidays and our All Company holiday periods.
• Maternity and paternity leave.
• Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform.
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues, with Priority Pass for lounge access.