Software Alliances Director, Americas

Canonical Ltd.; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Distributed work environment with team

USD 2,000 learning budget per year

Annual compensation review

Recognition rewards

Annual holiday leave

Maternity and paternity leave

Team Member Assistance Program &  

Wellness Platform

Travel to meet colleagues

Travel upgrades for events

Job summary

Canonical is seeking a senior BizDev/PM leader for its Software Alliances team, focused on aligning open-source strategies with major partners and customers across the Americas. The role emphasizes collaborative architecture, go-to-market planning, and joint product roadmaps to drive Ubuntu adoption and partner-led growth.

The successful candidate will bring 7+ years of relevant experience, strong presentation and stakeholder-management skills, and a track record of influencing across product,

Qualifications

• Cross-functional leadership and influence.
• Academic track record or compelling alternative narrative.
• Bachelor's degree in science, technology and/or engineering.
• Experience in software development and system architecture.
• Customer-facing experience in software engineering, product management, business development, technology strategy or similar functions.
• Excellent communication across stakeholders from individual contributors to C-suite; synthesize complex material.
• Ability to think at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Remote-first workplace mindset.

Responsibilities

• Set account strategy in a major account, region, and/or vertical.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, alliance and marketing teams on open-source strategies.
• Capture partner requirements, evaluate gaps, identify Canonical opportunities.
• Coordinate with marketing and product teams on messaging, content, and launches.
• Create partner- and customer-facing materials (reference architectures, blueprints, webinars, presentations, videos, white papers).
• Drive Ubuntu adoption within alliance accounts and enable partner teams.
• Influence alliance partners to build with Canonical technology.
• Travel up to 25% for internal conferences and to drive partnerships in person.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Academic excellence

Software development

System architecture

Customer-facing experience

Communication skills

Strategic thinking

Remote-first mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Post-graduate degree (nice-to-have)

Job description

The Software Alliances team at Canonical works with leading software companies to optimize and enable their products with Ubuntu and other Canonical software, for instance our AI offerings. We develop joint product roadmaps, drive delivery, and formulate go-to-market plans, content and processes, enabling differentiated offerings and robust product life‑cycle support anchored to best-in-class Canonical products. Enterprises are able to receive the benefits of open source, securely maintained, and validated solutions from cloud to edge, whether purchased from Canonical, embedded in Alliance partners’ products, or accessed through the cloud.

The successful candidate is someone who has demonstrated success in business development or product management, both as a leader and an individual contributor in major accounts. If you are someone who is passionate about open source, can navigate complex new technical challenges, learn quickly, and architect solutions and strategies across global teams, this challenging role is for you. This role is ideal for professionals with 7+ years of experience.

Location: This role will be based remotely in the Americas region.

The role entails

• Setting the account strategy in a major account, region, and/or vertical.
• Collaborating with product, engineering, alliance and marketing teams at partners to align on open‑source strategies.
• Capturing partner requirements, evaluating gaps, and identifying Canonical opportunities.
• Coordinating with marketing and product teams on messaging, content creation, and launch plans.
• Creating partner- and customer-facing materials like reference architectures, joint blueprints, webinars, presentations, videos, and white papers.
• Driving Ubuntu adoption within targeted alliance accounts, advocating its benefits to stakeholders and working with partners on enablement training for their development, delivery, support and commercial teams.
• Influencing alliance partners to build with Canonical technology.
• Up to 25% travel, including internationally, for internal conferences and to drive partnerships in person.

What we are looking for in you

• Demonstrated cross‑functional leadership and influence
• Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path.
• Bachelor's degree in science, technology and/or engineering.
• Experience in software development and system architecture.
• Customer‑facing experience in software engineering, product management, business development, technology strategy or similar functions.
• Excellent communication skills across all levels of stakeholders - individual contributors to the C-suite; ability to grasp complex material and synthesize key points.
• Ability to think and work at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Disciplined and self motivated for a remote‑first workplace environment.

Nice‑to‑have skills and experience

• Experience with open source software and open source business models.
• Product management or program management experience.
• Understanding of marketing and go‑to‑market strategy.
• Sector‑specific experience in finance, telecommunications, automotive, or public sectors.
• Working knowledge of independent hardware and software vendor go‑to‑market motions.
• Post‑graduate degree in science, technology or engineering field.

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 recognize outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance‑driven annual bonus or commission. 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
• Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform
• 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 our 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.