Head of Talent Development

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office-based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution. We are building a Talent Development function that is future-focused and driven to define the future of the workplace within a global, growing open source software company, pioneers in remote-first collaboration and employment.

This is an opportunity for a person with outstanding leadership, organisation, and intellect, to build our Talent Development team to enhance our leadership and people management practices in our remote setting. We would like to create a new team to focus on Talent Development - to deepen our insights and effectiveness as a remote-first and globally distributed organisation. We know that being effective remotely requires discipline and good habits, and we would like to invest in the research needed to understand that, the training and policymaking which enables it, and the selection mechanisms that ensure consistency of behaviours.

The role entails:

• Define and implement an inspiring and comprehensive talent development program
• Develop, drive and embed effective programs of management and leadership development within our remote organisation
• Design and deliver core training programs, partnering with specialist vendors where appropriate
• Create and implement leadership performance indicators and metrics
• Own our leadership skills matrix for performance management, talent assessment, succession planning, mentorship, virtual learning and career development
• Set up a global learning framework for training and career fulfillment
• Build and manage a new team of Talent Development specialists
• Take a data-focused lens to understand trends to strategise and define career development frameworks
• Own and enhance the impact of the learning budget

What we are looking for in you:

• An exceptional academic track record from high school and beyond
• Possess insight and experience on what makes people successful in a globally remote tech company at the management level
• Demonstrated experience with strong insight and perspective on the key conditions and practices that create high performing teams
• Ability to create, lead and execute strategy, and drive change across a company
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance strategy with execution
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, for data-driven decision making with particular experience in measurement of the impact of development programmes
• Experience in people management and being accountable for a budget
• Willingness to travel up to 4 times a year for internal events

What we offer colleagues:

• 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 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.