General Counsel - global software company 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 1000+ colleagues in 70+ countries and very few roles based in offices. 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 a Global General Counsel to lead our in house legal, ESG, regulatory compliance and reporting team. We focus on customer, partner, supplier, contractor and employee contracts, predominantly under US and English law. We are growing our compliance and ESG reporting capacity as part of our program to list the business on a US or UK exchange.This is an opportunity to work in an exciting and dynamic technology company in the software sector. The successful candidate will lead work across a very wide variety of commercial contracts, counterparts and jurisdictions. The candidate must demonstrate excellent commercial and legal judgment, leadership, and teamwork at a global executive level. The sector is competitive and demanding, our GC will lead by example on work ethic, attention to detail, innovative use of technology and problem solving.The role entails Establish policy and default positions on commercial, regulatory and strategic mattersRepresent Canonical on complex regulatory matters including privacy, security, technology policy and employment in multiple jurisdictionsDraft, review and negotiate commercial contracts, including complex agreements with large global customersAccountability for software licensing, technology service agreements, commercial contracts, real estate agreements, IP, tax and employment mattersCoordination and communication with legal counsel, executives, managers, specialists and the open source or Ubuntu CommunityLegal research and independent work to produce industry- or jurisdiction-specific analysis or position statementsRequired skills & experience An exceptional academic track record from both high school and universityAn undergraduate degree in law, JD or equivalent, and active license to practice lawDemonstrated leadership and management skill in a high profile, consequential roleExperience in corporate, commercial, and intellectual property law with a software or technology focusUnderstanding of digital privacy, and the challenges in defending privacy, in a complex geopolitical environmentAble to organise, prioritise and coordinate projects with end-to-end responsibilityConfidence to respectfully speak up, exchange feedback, and share ideas without hesitationTrack record of going above-and-beyond expectations to achieve outstanding resultsPassion for technology evidenced by personal projects and initiativesProfessional written and spoken English with excellent presentation and interpersonal skillsAppreciative of diversity, polite and effective in a multi-cultural, multi-national organisationCuriosity, flexibility, and accountabilityThoughtfulness and self-motivationResult-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitmentsAbility to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks longNice to have Understanding of free and open source software, and open culture, legal and philosophical principlesTechnical experience preferred, including experience of open source softwarePrevious experience of in-house legal workPrivate practice legal experienceWhat we offer you 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 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 personPersonal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per yearAnnual compensation reviewRecognition rewardsAnnual holiday leaveMaternity and paternity leaveEmployee Assistance ProgrammeOpportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleaguesPriority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company eventsAbout 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 Describe your most relevant experience for this position *Describe your interest in technology and / or any experience in the technology sector *Which achievement in your career best reflects your ability? *How did you perform in mathematics at high school? *Please selectHow did you perform in your native language at high school? *Please selectPlease share your rationale or evidence for the high school performance selections above. Make reference to provincial, state or nation-wide scoring systems, rankings, or recognition awards, or to competitive or selective college entrance results such as SAT or ACT scores, JAMB, matriculation results, IB results etc. We recognise every system is different but we will ask you to justify your selections above. *What was your bachelor's university degree result, or expected result if you have not yet graduated? Please include the grading system to help us understand your result e.g. '85 out of 100', '2:1 (Grading system: first class, 2:1, 2:2, third class)' or 'GPA score of 3.8/4.0 (predicted)'. We have hired outstanding individuals who did not attend or complete university. If this describes you, please continue with your application and enter 'no degree'. *Universities around the world score degrees in different ways. Please indicate your result, or expected result if you are close to graduation, along with information about the grading system.We expect all colleagues to meet in person 2-4 times a year, at internal company events lasting between 1-2 weeks. We try to pick new and interesting locations that will likely require international travel and entry requirement visas and vaccinations. Are you willing and able to commit to this? *Please note that if you require any accommodation for travel that relates to a physical disability please do let us know during your hiring process and we will be happy to discuss your requirements further.--During this application process I agree to use only my own words. I understand that plagiarism, the use of AI or other generated content will disqualify my application. *--In the past ten years, looking only at the time since you graduated your first undergraduate degree, how many companies have you worked for? *We're focused specifically on the last ten years, and only the portion of that since you left undergrad university. If you graduated three years ago, just count the number of companies you have worked for in those three years. If you graduated 25 years ago, just count the companies in the last ten years.If you worked for a company which was acquired or renamed, then please count that as one company not two. Don't count any university jobs or internships. If you have your own company or do private contracting work in addition to your employment, please count that as one company.Please selectIn which country do you currently work? *Please select your current location from the dropdown.Please selectPlease confirm that you have read and agree to Canonical's Recruitment Privacy Notice and Privacy Policy. *Recruitment Privacy NoticePrivacy PolicyPlease select#J-18808-Ljbffr
