General Counsel

Canonical

. Lead Canonical’s global Legal and Compliance function across EMEA and the Americas .

Posted 10/2/2026full-timeRemoteMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in leading global legal and compliance functions, with a strong focus on corporate governance, commercial contracting, and compliance programs. Proven ability to manage and develop legal teams while ensuring high performance and effective risk management.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Legal Team LeadershipCommercial Contract NegotiationCorporate Governance ExpertiseIn-House Legal Function ManagementData Protection and Privacy Compliance

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Legal DegreeActive License to PracticeCommercial Technology ContractsOpen Source LicensingPublic Company GovernanceData Protection and PrivacyIntellectual Property ManagementRegulatory EngagementM&A AdvisoryLitigation Management

Soft Skills

Interpersonal SkillsAccountabilityCuriosityFlexibilityCommunication Skills

Industry Keywords

Global Technology BusinessSoftware IndustryCompliance ProgramTrade ComplianceAnti-Bribery and CorruptionCompetition LawAI RegulationDistributed Legal Team ManagementPerformance ManagementInternational Travel

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudOpen Source

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead Canonical’s global Legal and Compliance function across EMEA and the Americas
Build and manage management capability by hiring and developing managers, setting objectives, reviewing performance, and addressing under-performance
Set the function’s operating cadence, including legal-work intake, prioritization, service expectations, and workload and risk reporting
Own public-market legal readiness, including corporate governance, group and entity structure, delegated authority, policies, disclosure controls, and records
Advise the CEO, COO, CFO, Board, and committees
Own the commercial contracting framework, including templates, negotiating positions, deviation, and escalation processes
Lead intellectual property and open source licensing strategy, including copyleft, trademark, and Ubuntu and product distribution terms
Own the global compliance program covering data protection and privacy, export controls and trade compliance, anti-bribery and corruption, competition, and AI regulation
Manage litigation, disputes, regulatory engagement, external counsel, budget, and quality
Advise on M&A, partnerships, strategic alliances, and financing

Requirements

What you’ll need

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
Track record of setting and holding a high performance bar, hiring well, developing people, and addressing under-performance directly
Experience building or restructuring an in-house legal function, including deciding what is retained, delegated, and sent to external counsel
Experience negotiating and owning commercial technology contracts, including enterprise software and subscriptions, channel and reseller agreements, hardware manufacturer agreements, cloud and services
Experience advising on open source licensing, including permissive and copyleft licences, and familiarity with open source communities
Experience of, or demonstrable readiness for, public company governance, including listing preparation, board and committee support, disclosure, and controls
Depth in at least two of: data protection and privacy, IP and trademark, export controls and trade, competition, or disputes
Confidence to speak up, exchange feedback, hold colleagues accountable, and share ideas
Professional written and spoken English with excellent drafting and presentation skills
Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability
Ability to travel internationally two to four times a year for company events up to two weeks long

Benefits

Comp & perks

Performance-driven annual bonus or commission
Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person
Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
Bi-annual compensation review
Company recognition rewards
40 days annual leave per annum, including public holidays and All Company holiday periods
Maternity and paternity leave
Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform
Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
Priority Pass for lounge access