Global General Counsel & Open Source Strategy

Canonical; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40 days annual leave

Maternity and paternity leave

Team wellbeing and assistance program

Learning budget USD 2,000 per year

Bi‑annual compensation review

Job summary

Canonical seeks a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance function, reporting to the COO. This senior role demands strong commercial acumen, deep licensing/IP knowledge, and the ability to run a distributed team across EMEA and the Americas.

You will partner closely with product, engineering and security to shape governance, contracts and regulatory posture. You will advise the CEO and Board, drive a public‑company readiness program, manage external counsel, and own the framework

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with active license to practice in an EMEA or Americas jurisdiction.
• Substantial senior in‑house experience in a global technology or software business.
• Experience leading a distributed legal team across regions and time zones.
• Track record in governance, licensing, IP and regulatory areas.

Responsibilities

• Lead Canonical’s global Legal and Compliance function across EMEA and the Americas.
• Own legal, regulatory and governance posture and report to the COO.
• Advise the CEO, COO and Board; support board and committees.
• Develop and implement the commercial contracting framework and templates.
• Lead IP and open source licensing strategy across products (e.g., Ubuntu).
• Oversee data protection, export controls, anti‑bribery, competition and AI regulation.

Skills

Legal leadership

In‑house experience

Open source licensing

IP management

Regulatory compliance

Data protection

Board governance

Contract negotiation

Global operations

Education

Law degree + bar

Job description

Canonical seeks a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance function, reporting to the COO. This senior role demands strong commercial acumen, deep licensing/IP knowledge, and the ability to run a distributed team across EMEA and the Americas.

You will partner closely with product, engineering and security to shape governance, contracts and regulatory posture. You will advise the CEO and Board, drive a public‑company readiness program, manage external counsel, and own the framework