Global General Counsel — Open Source & Tech Compliance

Canonical Ltd.; United States; Remote; USD 250,000 - 420,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Distributed work environment

Learning budget USD 2,000 per year

Bi-annual compensation review

Company recognition rewards

40 days annual leave

Parental leave

Wellness platform

Travel opportunities with lounge

Job summary

Canonical is seeking a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance function. The role reports to the COO and will own governance, regulatory posture, and strategic risk across EMEA and the Americas.

The successful candidate will partner with product, engineering, finance and the Board, guiding licensing, IP strategy, privacy, export controls and disputes in a fast-growing tech environment.

Qualifications

• Senior in-house lawyer with global tech/OSS experience.
• Active license to practice law in EMEA or Americas.
• Proven track record leading distributed legal teams across regions.
• Experience with public-company governance and boards.
• Expertise in licensing, IP and open source.
• Strong commercial contract negotiation skills.
• Excellent drafting and communication in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global Legal and Compliance function across EMEA and the Americas.
• Manage managers across regions and set objectives and performance standards.
• Own operating cadence for legal work intake, prioritization and reporting to leadership.
• Oversee corporate governance, structure, delegated authority, policies and controls.
• Advise the CEO, COO, CFO and Board; support in board meetings.
• Own commercial contracting framework and standard templates; escalation process.
• Lead IP and open source licensing strategy, including copyleft/licensing decisions.
• Run global compliance program: data protection, export controls, anti-bribery and competition.
• Manage litigation, regulatory engagement and external counsel budgets.
• Advise on M&A, partnerships and financing as the company grows.

Skills

Global in-house leadership

Open source licensing

IP/tech licensing

Corporate governance

Regulatory compliance

Contract negotiation

English fluency

Education

Law degree

Job description

Canonical is seeking a General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance function. The role reports to the COO and will own governance, regulatory posture, and strategic risk across EMEA and the Americas.

The successful candidate will partner with product, engineering, finance and the Board, guiding licensing, IP strategy, privacy, export controls and disputes in a fast-growing tech environment.