Legal Counsel – Regulatory Compliance, Product and Privacy

Legal Counsel – Regulatory Compliance, Product and Privacy

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems, powering enterprise initiatives in public cloud, data science, AI, and IoT. We are a globally distributed company with over 1200 colleagues in more than 80 countries, pioneering a remote-first work model. Canonical is founder-led, profitable, and growing, with plans for a public listing.

We are expanding our in-house legal team and seeking an exceptional lawyer to join us as Legal Counsel. This role offers the opportunity to work on a variety of compliance and privacy matters within the technology and enterprise software sectors, as well as cutting-edge legal questions related to technology and product development. We are looking for a candidate with experience in compliance, privacy, and product development, who possesses a strong ability to learn, tackle new challenges, and provide high-quality legal and compliance advice with sound commercial judgment.

The Role

• Drafting and reviewing corporate policies, driving process improvements, and implementing controls to meet global regulatory compliance requirements.
• Developing, maintaining, and scaling global privacy programs, including conducting Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) and Records of Processing Activities (ROPAs), and supporting operational initiatives.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to assess the impact of privacy and data protection laws and regulations, including emerging AI regulations.
• Providing legal support to various internal clients, including Canonical’s product teams.
• Working with local counsel in multiple countries to obtain and implement legal advice.

Requirements

• Exceptional academic record from high school and university.
• A law degree (JD or equivalent) and an active license to practice law, or progress towards obtaining one.
• Demonstrated drive and a track record of exceeding expectations.
• Professional written and spoken English, with excellent drafting and presentation skills.
• Confidence to voice opinions, provide feedback, and share ideas constructively.
• Appreciation for diversity and effectiveness in a multicultural, multinational organization.
• Organizational skills, with the ability to be proactive and efficient.
• Sound commercial judgment.
• Ability to travel up to two weeks per year for company events.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience in compliance, data privacy, or product development.
• Leadership skills and the ability to influence others to adopt new ideas or practices.
• Understanding of the open source software community and its values.
• Familiarity with the technology industry, including silicon, data centers, PCs, connected devices, and software.
• Experience working within an in-house legal team and/or a law firm.

What We Offer

Canonical offers a competitive compensation package that considers geographical location, experience, and performance, with annual reviews. In addition to base pay, we provide a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. Our benefits reflect our values and are balanced to meet local needs while ensuring global fairness.

• A distributed work environment with in-person team sprints twice yearly.
• A 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.
• Opportunities to travel to new locations to meet colleagues.
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a workplace free from discrimination. We believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and background creates a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.