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Software Alliances Director, EMEA

AI Summary
Canonical is seeking a senior business-development leader to build and expand strategic software alliances across EMEA. The Director will define account strategy, align product roadmaps and go-to-market plans, and drive Ubuntu and Canonical technology adoption with major partners. The role requires strong technical credibility in software development and systems architecture alongside executive-level relationship management. It is a remote-first position with up to 25% international travel and collaboration across product, engineering, marketing, and alliance teams.
Remote from
EMEA
Salary
Undisclosed
Employment
Full Time
Experience
Director
Published
Apply before
7 Dec 2026
Listing views
22
Application actions
1
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Opportunity details

About this role.

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 EMEA 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.

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This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content.

Role DNA

A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.

Job Complexity

5/5
EasyHard

Pace & Pressure

4/5
RelaxedFast-paced

Autonomy Level

5/5
GuidedFull ownership

Communication Load

5/5
IndependentCollaborative
AI insightThis is a senior, high-impact alliances role requiring the candidate to translate complex technical capabilities into joint commercial and product strategies. Success depends on independently influencing senior stakeholders across several organizations and coordinating global cross-functional delivery.

Salary analysis

Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.

Estimated job median (per year)Market rate
$140,000
US market range (per year)$110k–$180k
AI insightThe yearly pay period is inferred from the job context; it was not explicitly stated by the employer. No employer base-pay figure is disclosed. The yearly cadence and USD market estimate are inferred from the senior full-time Director-level software alliances scope; actual compensation is expected to vary by EMEA country, experience, and performance incentives.

Core skills

Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.

Sample interview questions
How would you create an account strategy for a new strategic software alliance in EMEA?

I would begin by mapping the partner's business priorities, technical roadmap, customer segments, and decision-makers. I would identify shared value propositions, validate technical and commercial gaps, define measurable joint objectives, and establish an execution cadence with accountable owners across both organizations.

Describe how you would align product and engineering teams with a partner on an open-source integration roadmap.

I would translate customer and partner requirements into a prioritized roadmap with clear technical assumptions, dependencies, success metrics, and release milestones. Regular technical working sessions, transparent issue tracking, and executive checkpoints would keep product, engineering, and commercial stakeholders aligned.

How do you communicate a complex technical proposition to both engineers and C-suite stakeholders?

I tailor the message to the audience while maintaining one consistent narrative. Engineers need architecture details, implementation trade-offs, and operational evidence, while executives need strategic relevance, risk reduction, investment rationale, and measurable business outcomes.

What metrics would you use to evaluate the health of an alliance partnership?

I would track jointly influenced pipeline and revenue, adoption of integrated offerings, enablement completion, roadmap milestone delivery, customer outcomes, partner satisfaction, and the number and quality of joint go-to-market activities. I would also review leading indicators such as executive engagement and technical validation progress.

Tell us about a time you influenced stakeholders without direct authority.

I would describe the shared outcome first, then bring evidence that makes the proposed path credible for each stakeholder group. By listening to competing priorities, documenting decisions, and creating a practical plan with clear ownership, I can build alignment without relying on reporting-line authority.

This analysis is generated from the job description. Salary estimates, role characteristics and sample answers are guidance, not employer-provided facts.
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