General Counsel (Software/Open Source)

Location: Remote in EMEA time zones, with an option to be office based in London, UK

Company

Canonical is a profitable, founder-led technology company developing Ubuntu and supporting enterprise adoption of open source across cloud, data science, AI, engineering, and IoT.

What you will do

• Lead the global Legal and Compliance function across EMEA and the Americas, setting its structure, standards, priorities, and operating cadence.
• Build and manage a distributed leadership capability, including hiring and developing managers and maintaining a high performance bar.
• Own legal preparation for public-market readiness, including corporate governance, entity structure, delegated authority, disclosure controls, and records.
• Advise the CEO, COO, CFO, Board, and committees on legal, regulatory, governance, and commercial matters.
• Own commercial contracting, intellectual property, and open source licensing strategy for Ubuntu and Canonical products.
• Lead compliance, litigation, regulatory engagement, external counsel management, and legal support for M&A, partnerships, alliances, and financing.

Requirements

• Law degree 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 and managing managers across regions and time zones.
• Experience building or restructuring an in-house legal function and managing external counsel.
• Experience with commercial technology contracts, open source licensing, and public-company governance or listing preparation.
• Professional written and spoken English with excellent drafting and presentation skills; international travel two to four times per year for company events.

Nice to have

• Experience taking a company through an IPO or working as counsel inside a listed company.
• Technical or engineering background and fluency in how software is built and shipped.
• Experience with subscription or recurring-revenue business models.
• Qualification in more than one jurisdiction.

Culture & Benefits

• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly in-person team sprints.
• USD 2,000 annual personal learning and development budget.
• Bi-annual compensation reviews, performance-driven annual bonus or commission, and recognition rewards.
• 40 days of annual leave including public holidays and company holiday periods.
• Maternity and paternity leave, team member assistance, and wellness support.
• Opportunities to travel to meet colleagues, with Priority Pass lounge access.