Global General Counsel for Open Source & Compliance (Remote)

Canonical; Douglas; Hybrid; GBP 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Distributed work

Learning budget

Compensation reviews

Leave policy

Wellness program

Travel opportunities

Job summary

Canonical is hiring a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance function, reporting to the COO. The role combines strategic leadership across licensing, IP, governance and risk with hands‑on execution, advising the Board and senior executives, and guiding the company through a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

The ideal candidate has substantial senior in‑house experience in technology, a law degree with active practice license, and a track record of building or restructuring an

Qualifications

• Exceptional academic track record from high school and university.
• Law degree and active licence to practise 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 across regions and time zones.
• Track record of hiring well, developing people, and addressing under performance directly.
• Experience building or restructuring an in‑house legal function.
• Tech experience: negotiating commercial technology contracts and open source licensing.
• Public company governance experience: listing prep, board support, and disclosures.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global Legal and Compliance function across EMEA and the Americas.
• Build and manage a management capability: hire and develop managers, set objectives, review performance.
• Set operating cadence: intake, prioritization, service levels, and risk reporting to leadership.
• Own public‑market readiness: governance, group structure, delegated authority, disclosures, in partnership with Finance.
• Advise CEO, COO, CFO and Board; support in Board and committee meetings.
• Own commercial contracting framework: standard templates, negotiation positions, escalation processes.
• Lead IP and open source licensing strategy for Ubuntu and products.
• Own global compliance programme: data protection, export controls, anti‑bribery, competition, AI regulation.
• Manage litigation, disputes and regulatory engagement with external counsel.
• Advise on M&A, partnerships, strategic alliances and financing as the company grows.

Skills

Senior in‑house experience

Distributed team leadership

High performance hiring

Open source licensing

Technology contracts negotiation

Open source licensing familiarity

English drafting & presentation

Education

Law degree + active license

Job description

Canonical is hiring a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance function, reporting to the COO. The role combines strategic leadership across licensing, IP, governance and risk with hands‑on execution, advising the Board and senior executives, and guiding the company through a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

The ideal candidate has substantial senior in‑house experience in technology, a law degree with active practice license, and a track record of building or restructuring an