Regional HR Manager - EMEA

Canonical; Dubai; Remote; AED 293,000 - 441,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading open source technology firm as a Regional HR Manager for APAC. The role entails overseeing HR operations, advising senior management, and enhancing talent management initiatives within a global, remote-first environment. The ideal candidate brings strong HR leadership in tech, business acumen, and a data-oriented approach, along with a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

Annual learning and development budget of USD 2,000

Comprehensive benefits including holiday and maternity/paternity leave

Annual compensation review and performance bonuses

Qualifications

• Regional HR leadership experience within a tech company.
• Experience working in remote-first organizations.
• Fluent in business English.

Responsibilities

• Leading and scaling the regional HR team.
• Delivering precise, compliant HR operations efficiently.
• Managing talent development and performance assessments.

Skills

People management skills

Data-driven decision-making

Business partnering experience

Education

Strong academic background

Job description

Join to apply for the Regional HR Manager - EMEA role at Canonical

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include top public cloud and silicon providers, along with industry leaders across sectors. The company is founder-led, profitable, and growing, with a global distributed team of over 1200 colleagues in more than 75 countries. Teams meet in person two to four times annually in interesting locations worldwide to align on strategy and execution.

We are hiring a Regional HR Manager for APAC to join our People team.

In this role, you will report to the Global Head of HR and lead the APAC HR team to provide compliant, scalable HR operations, advise on employee lifecycle issues, and partner with senior leadership. You should have an analytical mindset, keen attention to detail, and the ability to interpret data trends.

Responsibilities include:

1. Leading and scaling the regional HR team
2. Delivering precise, compliant HR operations efficiently
3. Collaborating with the broader People team to create cohesive processes
4. Managing talent development, succession planning, performance assessments, onboarding, and engagement initiatives
5. Partnering with senior managers on performance management, organizational design, rewards, and workforce planning
6. Advising managers on employee relations issues across multiple countries
7. Supporting training and development programs
8. Building trusted regional partnerships
9. Driving diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
10. Designing policies and leading global HR projects
11. Representing Canonical’s HR practices at events

Ideal candidate profile:

• Strong academic background from high school through university
• Regional HR leadership experience within a tech company
• People management skills
• Business partnering experience with senior stakeholders
• Hands-on involvement in daily HR routines
• Experience working in remote-first organizations
• Data-driven decision-making skills
• Knowledge of HR practices and employment law across APAC
• Experience handling complex ER matters across jurisdictions
• Fluent in business English
• Self-motivated, organized, accurate, confident, results-oriented, open-minded, enthusiastic, energetic
• Willing to travel up to 4 times annually for internal events

Nice-to-have skills:

• Experience with immigration policies and mobility
• HR professional qualifications (CIPD, SHRM, or similar)
• Facilitation skills

What we offer:

• Global, distributed work environment with biannual in-person team sprints
• USD 2,000 annual learning and development budget
• Annual compensation review and performance bonuses
• Comprehensive benefits including holiday, maternity/paternity leave, Employee Assistance Programme, and travel perks

About Canonical:

Canonical is a pioneering open source tech firm, publisher of Ubuntu, and a leader in AI, IoT, and cloud platforms. We set high standards for our team and promote a remote-first work culture since 2004. Join us to challenge yourself, learn new skills, and contribute to impactful projects.

Our commitment to diversity:

We are an equal opportunity employer, valuing diversity and inclusivity in our workplace.

Seniority level: Director

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Human Resources

Industry: Software Development