Chief Operating Officer – Global Tech Sector

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 Chief Operating Officer to lead business enabling operations that support our uniquely distributed work. Perhaps unusually we are looking for a leader who is insightful and passionate about the impact of open source in the world.

Canonical aspires to global leadership on two fronts. In software, we aim to build and offer the best array of open source platform, management, and application solutions. In employment, we aim to blaze a trail as a truly distributed home-based company setting the pace for 21st century work. This role will demand insights, expertise, rigor, and leadership on both fronts. The scope for the position includes:

• Global operations, including company documentation, business services, offices, and briefing centers
• Project management for customer deliveries and implementation as well as corporate initiatives
• Significant global travel procurement and logistics for company and industry events
• Legal services, global contracting, and regulatory compliance
• Revenue operations (“sales ops”), the bridge between sales, legal, and finance

Location: This role will be filled in Europe, Middle East, or Africa time zones, with the option of home or London office.

What we are looking for:

• A detail-oriented leader with a bias to action
• An exceptional academic track record in both high school and university
• Enthusiasm and personal interest in technology, especially open source
• A track record of leadership and innovation
• Professional written and spoken English with excellent presentation skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility
• Thoughtfulness, accountability, and self-motivation
• Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks long

Nice-to-have skills we would value:

• Software engineering, preferably on Linux and open source
• Technical operations – IS, public or private cloud
• Project management expertise
• Procurement expertise
• Travel industry insights and experience
• Familiarity with legal concerns in multi-country contracting
• Understanding of sales processes and sales ops

What we offer you:

• 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.