[All remote jobs](https://jobicy.com/jobs.md)[![Canonical logo](https://jobicy.com/data/server-nyc0409/galaxy/mercury/2025/06/b4d068a9-221-1.png)](https://jobicy.com/company/canonical-ltd.md)[Canonical](https://jobicy.com/company/canonical-ltd.md) # General Counsel Review the role, location requirements, compensation details, and application process before deciding whether this opportunity fits your next career move. [Apply for this job](#job-application)[View company](https://jobicy.com/company/canonical-ltd.md)ShareRemote from[EMEA](https://jobicy.com/job-region/emea.md)SalaryUndisclosedDepartment[Legal & Compliance](https://jobicy.com/categories/legal.md)EmploymentFull TimeExperienceDirectorPublished29 Oct 2026Apply before28 Nov 2026Listing views23Application actions2Application toolkit ## Make your next move. Prepare your resume, explore your fit, and draft a cover letter for this opportunity. AI Summary ## The role, at a glance. Canonical is seeking a senior General Counsel to lead its global Legal and Compliance function while reporting directly to the COO. The role covers public-company readiness, corporate governance, commercial technology contracting, open-source licensing, IP, privacy, trade compliance, disputes, M&A, and board advisory. The successful candidate will build and manage a distributed legal leadership team across EMEA and the Americas in a fast-growing, privately held software company. This is a highly strategic executive legal position requiring substantial in-house technology experience, active legal licensure, sound commercial judgment, and strong leadership in a remote environment. ## Role DNA A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description. ### Job Complexity 5/5EasyHard ### Pace & Pressure 5/5RelaxedFast-paced ### Autonomy Level 5/5GuidedFull ownership ### Communication Load 5/5IndependentCollaborative AI insightThis is an executive-level legal leadership role with broad global accountability, direct Board exposure, and responsibility for creating the legal architecture needed for a potential public listing. It requires deep expertise across multiple complex legal domains while leading a distributed function in a high-growth technology business. ## Salary analysis Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles. Estimated job median (per year)Highly competitive$285,000US market range (per year)$220k–$350k0$385.00k AI insightThe yearly pay period is inferred from the job context; it was not explicitly stated by the employer. No base-salary amount is disclosed; the USD 2,000 learning and development budget is a benefit, not pay. The annual compensation cadence is inferred from the senior full-time executive role and the employer's annual compensation review. Estimated annual market compensation is shown in USD for a comparable senior technology General Counsel role; actual compensation will vary materially by EMEA country, licensure, equity, and public-company readiness experience. ## Core skills Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity. [Corporate governance](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Corporate%20governance.md)[Commercial contracts](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Commercial%20contracts.md)[Technology law](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Technology%20law.md)[Open source licensing](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Open%20source%20licensing.md)[Intellectual property](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Intellectual%20property.md)[Data protection and privacy](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Data%20protection%20and%20privacy.md)[Export controls](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Export%20controls.md)[Trade compliance](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Trade%20compliance.md)[Corporate compliance](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Corporate%20compliance.md)[Mergers and acquisitions](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Mergers%20and%20acquisitions.md)[Board advisory](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Board%20advisory.md)[Legal team leadership](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Legal%20team%20leadership.md)[Litigation management](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Litigation%20management.md)[Public company readiness](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Public%20company%20readiness.md) Sample interview questionsHow would you prepare a fast-growing private technology company for a future public listing?I would begin with a legal-readiness assessment covering entity structure, board and committee governance, delegated authorities, material contracts, IP ownership, disclosure controls, records retention, and compliance policies. I would then prioritize remediation work by risk and establish clear ownership, milestones, and reporting for leadership and the Board. How do you balance open-source licensing obligations with commercial product strategy? I translate licensing requirements into practical product, engineering, and contracting controls. This includes maintaining an accurate software bill of materials, setting approval processes for third-party code, advising on copyleft and permissive licence obligations, and ensuring distribution, trademark, and customer commitments align with the company's commercial model. Describe your approach to leading a distributed legal team across regions. I set a clear operating model with defined decision rights, service expectations, escalation paths, measurable objectives, and regular risk reporting. I also invest in manager development and create consistent standards for hiring, performance feedback, and collaboration across time zones. How would you improve a company's commercial contracting process without slowing revenue teams? I would segment agreements by risk, create usable templates and playbooks, define pre-approved negotiation positions, and establish escalation thresholds for non-standard terms. This gives commercial teams speed for routine deals while ensuring legal visibility and senior review for material commitments. How do you advise a board on emerging regulatory and compliance risks? I provide concise, decision-oriented reporting that explains the business impact, likelihood, mitigation options, accountable owners, and residual risk. For emerging areas such as AI regulation, privacy, export controls, and competition law, I would pair horizon scanning with practical controls and regular updates as requirements evolve. Opportunity details ## About this role. We are hiring a General Counsel, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO). This role leads Canonical’s global Legal and Compliance function. This is a unique opportunity for an exceptional and commercially-minded senior lawyer to lead the legal and compliance function of a profitable, fast-growing technology company that is privately held with the intention to list on a public exchange. We’re looking for someone with genuine fluency in the software industry and in open source dynamics, who can translate that insight into clear positions on licensing, commercial contracts and risk, and hands-on execution. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, you will own Canonical’s legal, regulatory and governance posture and lead a distributed team across EMEA and the Americas. Your primary challenge will be to continue building both the team and the architecture: a management layer across two regions, and the governance, contracting and controls a public company needs, in an environment that regularly does things the industry has not done before. You will work closely with our product and engineering teams on licensing and IP questions, with the security function on customer assurance, and you will advise the Board and its committees directly. In our selection process, we prioritize intellect and judgement alongside depth of practice. We are looking for someone with a strong academic background, an active licence to practice, and demonstrable exposure to a multilayered global operational environment. Location: This role will be based remotely in EMEA time zones. ### The role entails * Leading the global Legal and Compliance function: setting it’s structure, standards and priorities across EMEA and the Americas. * Building and managing a management capability: hire and develop managers, set objectives, review performance against a clear bar, and address under-performance directly. * Setting the operating cadence of the function: intake and prioritization of legal work, service expectations with internal clients, and reporting on workload and risk to the leadership team. * Owning public-market readiness on the legal side: corporate governance, group and entity structure, delegated authority, policies, disclosure controls and records, in partnership with Finance. * Advising the CEO, COO, CFO and the Board, and supporting in Board and committee meetings. * Owning the commercial contracting framework: standard templates, negotiating positions, and a deviation and escalation process that makes commitments visible before they are signed. * Leading intellectual property and open source licensing strategy, including copyleft, trademark and the terms on which Ubuntu and our products are distributed. * Owning the global compliance programme: data protection and privacy, export controls and trade compliance, anti-bribery and corruption, competition and AI regulation. * Managing litigation, disputes and regulatory engagement, together with the external counsel panel, its budget and its quality. * Advising on M&A, partnerships, strategic alliances and financing as the company grows. ### What we are looking for in you * An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university. * A degree in law, or equivalent, and an active licence to practice in an EMEA or Americas jurisdiction. * Substantial senior in-house experience in a global technology or software business. * Proven experience leading a distributed legal team, including managing managers across regions and time zones. * A track record of setting and holding a high performance bar: hiring well, developing people, and dealing with under performance directly rather than waiting it out. * Experience building or restructuring an in-house legal function, including deciding what is retained, delegated and sent to external counsel. * Technology related experience of: negotiating and owning commercial technology contracts, including enterprise software and subscriptions, channel and reseller agreements, hardware manufacturer agreements, cloud and services * advising on open source licensing, including permissive and copyleft licences, and familiarity with how open source communities operate. * Experience of, or demonstrable readiness for, public company governance: listing preparation, board and committee support, disclosure and controls. * Depth in at least two of: data protection and privacy, IP and trademark, export controls and trade, competition, or disputes. * Confidence to respectfully speak up, exchange feedback, hold colleagues accountable, and share ideas without hesitation. * Professional written and spoken English with excellent drafting and presentation skills. * Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability. * International travel two to four times a year for company events up to two weeks long. ### Nice-to-have skills * Experience taking a company through an IPO, or practicing as counsel inside a listed company. * A technical or engineering background, or fluency in how software is built and shipped. * Experience of a subscription or recurring-revenue business model. * Experience building or restructuring an in-house legal function. * A qualification in more than one jurisdiction. ### 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. * Bi-annual compensation review. * Company recognition rewards. * 40 days annual leave per annum, including public holidays and our All Company holiday periods. * Maternity and paternity leave. * Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform. * Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues, with Priority Pass for lounge access. ### About Canonical Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source. 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. We are founder-led, profitable, and growing. Powered by worldwide distributed collaboration since our inception in 2004, we believe tech and business leadership can emerge anywhere. We have no central headquarters. Most of us work from home, but we are exceptionally disciplined about this. We have very high expectations of all colleagues, and are champions of excellence. 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.](https://canonical.com/careers/diversity/identity) Show more [Apply now >](https://jobicy.com/jobs/157768-general-counsel-2.md) > Annual salary information is not provided for this position. 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