Senior Hr Generalist - Emea

Canonical; Cape Town; Remote; ZAR 1 125 000 - 1 576 000; Full time

Job summary

A global technology company seeks a Senior HR Generalist to shape and drive HR function in the EMEA region. The role involves ensuring precise HR operations, partnering with leadership on HR initiatives, and supporting diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices. Looking for a candidate with a strong HR background in technology and the ability to mentor and develop others, fluent in business English, and open to occasional travel.

Benefits

Performance-driven annual bonus

Personal learning and development budget

Annual compensation review

Maternity and paternity leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience leading HR initiatives across regions within a technology business.
• Understanding of local labor laws in EMEA countries.
• Able to leverage data for informed decisions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver precise HR operations with high accuracy.
• Partner with HR leadership for global initiatives.
• Coach managers on employee relations issues.

Skills

HR experience leading initiatives

Strong project management skills

Business partnering with senior stakeholders

Fluent in business English

Education

Exceptional academic track record

Tools

HR Systems and databases

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

• 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 require an HR function that thinks and acts globally.

We're looking for a Senior HR Generalist to offer their expertise to our EMEA region.

It's an exciting time to join with the opportunity to help shape and create an HR function for the future.

The senior role will serve as a driver and practitioner in both regional and global HR initiatives.

You will join a global team of HR professionals to provide precise, compliant and scalable HR operations to the business, advise and execute on HR issues across the whole employee life‑cycle, and partner with leadership in your region.

You will have an analytical approach, a keen eye for detail and the ability to interpret data trends and themes.

Location: This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region

Role Entails

• Deliver precise and compliant HR operations in a timely manner and with the highest degree of accuracy
• Interact closely with the EMEA HR Manager and the Global Head of HR to create impact across all HR regions
• Be accountable for HR processes such as talent development, succession planning, performance assessments, onboarding, culture and engagement initiatives that drive a high performing team
• Work with managers across the business on performance management, organizational design, employee engagement, rewards- and workforce planning
• Partner with the HRIS team to develop and refine operational processes for day to day HR administration
• Coach and advise people managers on the full spectrum of employee relations issues across multiple countries
• Partner with people managers to support the delivery of appropriate training and development programs
• Establish a trusted partnership with the business in your region
• Drive diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
• Design new policies and deliver on business‑critical HR related projects globally

What we are looking for in you

Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university

HR experience leading initiatives across regions within a technology business

Regional HR experience within EMEA (France, Germany and / or UK is a plus), with an understanding of local labor laws, competitive awareness and insights

Experience in business partnering with senior stakeholders

A good balance between leading and executing, in this role you will need to be hands‑on involved in the daily HR routines

Experience mentoring and developing others

Strong project management skills with the ability to define done and keep deliverables on track

Experience in working in a remote first organization

Able to leverage data to make informed decisions

Language & Traits

Fluent in business English (written and spoken)

Self motivated, organized, accurate, confident, authentic, results‑orientated, open‑minded and enthusiastic

Willingness to travel up to 4 times a year for internal events

Nice to have skills

Experience with immigration policies and mobility processes

Payroll and / or benefits oversight experience

Knowledge of HR Systems and databases

Professional HR certification(s)

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 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

Working here is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer