HR Generalist - EMEA

Remote; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Learning budget

Annual bonus

Travel opportunities

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Canonical is seeking an HR Generalist to support its EMEA region. The role reports to the Regional HR Manager and involves hands-on HR activities, policy interpretation, payroll liaison, and global process improvements across multiple countries.

You will collaborate with line managers, ensure compliance with UK, Germany, France, and Spain HR practices, and contribute to diversity initiatives while enabling scalable HR operations in a distributed work environment.

Qualifications

• Strong academic record in HR-related studies.
• Professional qualification and certifications in HR.

Responsibilities

• Provide HR guidance to team members and managers, setting high expectations of behaviour and performance.
• Partner with line managers to provide employee relations advice on global policies and procedures.
• Ensure accuracy and timeliness in processing employee changes, joiners and leavers.
• Manage and drive benefit programs spanning our EMEA location (UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain).
• Liaise with our finance team on monthly payroll, projects and enquiries.
• Support the full life-cycle of HR including onboarding, benefit administration, and departure.
• Apply critical thinking to automate and reduce administrative tasks.
• Take a lead role in the management, continued development, and integration of our HR system.
• Act as a system expert and advocate for the global HR team.
• Produce data driven reports to inform and influence HR initiatives.
• Lead and participate in projects where you’ll see the impact of your work.
• Support internal resource groups to drive initiatives such as diversity and inclusion.
• Create, update and maintain corporate policies that have a global lens with local application.
• Ensure consistency of application of our HR policies and procedures.

Skills

Employee relations

Global policies

HR systems

Communication

Analytical reporting

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

HR certifications (SHRM/IR)

Tools

HRIS systems

Payroll systems

Job description

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is very widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution.

The company is founder led, profitable and growing.

We are hiring an HR Generalist to support our EMEA region

With 1,200+ colleagues across 75 countries, we require an HR function that thinks and acts globally. We're looking for an HR Generalist who will report into our Regional HR Manager who can help build our company as we go through continued growth plans. It's an exciting time to join with the opportunity to help shape and create an HR function for the future. You will demonstrate a high work ethic and the personal confidence to set and defend high expectations of colleagues, counterparts and processes. You must be able to work independently, take a hands-on approach, and interface effectively with professionals at all levels. You'll need excellent communication, professional and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to function in a proactive, innovative environment. We look to HR both to support our colleagues in their personal needs and development, and also to maintain consistently high standards across multiple teams, managers and directors.

The role entails the individual to:

• Provide HR guidance to team members and managers, setting high expectations of behaviour and performance.

• Partner with line managers to provide employee relations advice on global policies and procedures.

• Ensure accuracy and timeliness in processing employee changes, joiners and leavers.

• Manage and drive benefit programs spanning our EMEA location (UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain)

• Liaise with our finance team on monthly payroll, projects and enquiries.

• Support the full life-cycle of HR including onboarding, benefit administration, and departure.

• Apply critical thinking to automate and reduce administrative tasks.

• Take a lead role in the management, continued development, and integration of our HR

• system.

• Act as a system expert and advocate for the global HR team.

• Produce data driven reports to inform and influence HR initiatives.

• Lead and participate in projects where you’ll see the impact of your work.

• Support internal resource groups to drive initiatives such as diversity and inclusion.

• Create, update and maintain corporate policies that have a global lens with local application.

• Ensure consistency of application of our HR policies and procedures.

What we are looking for in you:

• Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university

• Relevant professional qualification and certifications.

• Excellent practical insights into German, UK and/or French HR practices and employment laws.

• Knowledge of other EMEA laws and practices is beneficial.

• Self-directed, organised problem solver with the ability to prioritise and meet goals and deadlines.

• Demonstrated ability to exercise discretion, sound judgement, tact and diplomacy in all communications.

• Fearless and principled approach to professional interactions at every level of the business with commitment to confidentiality of sensitive information.

• Willingness and ability to travel up to 4 times a year for internal events, with at least one trip of two full working weeks.

What we offer colleagues

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognise outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus. We provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.

• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person.

• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year.

• Annual compensation review.

• Recognition rewards.

• Annual holiday leave.

• Maternity and paternity leave.

• Employee Assistance Programme.

• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues.

• Priority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company events.

About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source. As the company that publishes Ubuntu, one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud, we are changing the world of software. We recruit on a global basis and set a very high standard for people joining the company. We expect excellence - in order to succeed, we need to be the best at what we do. Most colleagues at Canonical have worked from home since its inception in 2004. Working here is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer

We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.

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