Head of Corporate Operations
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 Head of Corporate Operations to lead efficient and effective travel, logistics, event, scheduling, expense policy and administration.
This executive role requires chief-of-staff level coordination, planning, decision-making, budgeting, procurement, reporting and management. It is a fast-paced and complex operation in the tech industry.
With most colleagues working from home and a firm commitment to regular face time for teams, it is necessary for us to coordinate large-scale company events which involve travel for hundreds of people from 70+ countries to locations around the world. We run such events four times a year, a significant investment in our ability to shape culture, teamwork, execution plans and strategy. Our corporate administration team is responsible for travel procurement and logistics, ensuring that these events run efficiently and safely. Visas, travel complications and unexpected situations make this a complex operation to run efficiently, demanding a rigorous approach and high work ethic in the team.
This team also sets expense policy and serves as an independent check on expense claim approval, ensuring fairness and consistency across teams and countries. This requires a firm commitment to integrity, transparency and accountability, and a willingness to set and politely defend the same expectations of the most senior and most junior colleagues.
Together these responsibilities amount to tens of millions in operational costs and a significant number of tactical and operational decisions.
In addition, this team handles traditional 'EA' services for company leads, though they do this across departments and as a consistent service rather than as personal assistants; they set and deliver to expectations on specific kinds of work. They schedule meetings, coordinate monthly reports, handle delegated approvals for travel and expenses, work across teams, coordinate with suppliers, and run small projects or initiatives.
Location: We expect to fill this role in the Europe, Middle East or African time zone. This role reports to the COO.
Leadership and accountability
This team has a direct impact on every team at Canonical. It is important for them to have excellent judgment and interpersonal skills, the confidence to hold people accountable and defend positions of policy, and the work ethic to move quickly through a large volume of work. It is also essential that the team participate in every company event, from the planning and venue selection stages to scheduling, operations and safety reviews, to ensure that they establish personal relationships with team leaders and can ensure these events run smoothly.
- Drive travel procurement, logistics and operations to create in-person team sprints four times a year
- Set travel and expense policies in line with company value and ensure their correct application and administration
- Select venues and plan for complex company events four times a year
- Select, contract, design and operate company offices to provide executive briefing and operational facilities
- Develop global duty of care, health and safety programs with comprehensive policies and practices for events, offices and home-based workers
- Select and manage a global team with leaders in every time zone to deliver professional and timely services
What we are looking for
- An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
- An undergraduate degree in a technical or business subject
- Drive and a track record of going above-and-beyond expectations
- Leadership and management skills
- Demonstrable good judgement in matters involving money, policy and in-person interactions
- Experience using technology for collaboration and productivity in the work environment
- Ability to work in a global, multicultural organisation
- Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility
- Responsibility, accountability, thoughtfulness and self-awareness
- Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
- Ability to travel up to four times a year, for company events up to two weeks long
Additional skills that you might also bring
- Travel industry experience
- Project management experience
- Event management and operations experience
- Business and corporate administration experience
What we offer you
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 recognise 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
- 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. Canonical has been a remote-first company 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.
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