Chief Revenue Officer

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. 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. Business Opportunity Our business opportunity is significant; we can deliver both infrastructure and business applications to the enterprise market. As companies refresh their data centers, our goal is to be the platform for cloud and apps. As they re‑architect their business applications to embrace open source, we will deliver the majority of their databases, analytics, messaging, publishing, identity, security, workflow, and everything that is open source. We are committed to doing that at the most efficient price points possible to drive down the total cost of IT, while remaining a global market leader. About the Role We are hiring a Chief Revenue Officer to lead our enterprise sales, sales development, partner, channel, alliance, customer success and field engineering teams. This position reports to the CEO and collaborates with senior Canonical leaders to drive sustainable growth. Success in this role depends on operational and inspirational leadership, programmatic process orientation, and deep insight into global enterprise software procurement. Key Responsibilities Go‑to‑market strategy – prioritize sectors and markets, identify organisational gaps and lead hiring to close them. Planning – challenge teams to develop ambitious but sustainable execution plans and metrics with cascading goals and targets. Execution – review relevant data and correct course where needed on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Sponsorship – support leaders to close large ($10M+ ARR) deals with global‑10k enterprises and large, complex, global tech sector partners. Insight – capture and share patterns, issues, and insights from customers and partners to broaden commercial awareness within Canonical. Staffing – supervise recruitment, selection and onboarding processes in your organisation. Productivity – design and lead career and skills development together with continuous improvement in your organisation. Culture – select for, and invest in, transparent communications, accountability trust, and the work ethic needed for success. Inspirational leadership – demonstrate and cultivate passion for Canonical's mission, customers and the market. Organizational Leadership Areas Direct Enterprise Sales Set high expectations of sales ability, readiness, performance and results. Hire sales leaders and set expectations for hiring effectiveness and results. Build annual targets and plans by region, sector and product with sales leaders. Ensure accurate reporting and status on prospects and opportunities. Review progress, metrics and results on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis. Lead for high‑quality customer engagement and commitment to customer delight. Alliances, Channels and Partnerships Lead ISVs embedding Ubuntu and Canonical open source. Drive IHV (Dell, HP, Lenovo etc) certification and pre‑installation of Ubuntu. Optimize silicon providers (Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Mediatek etc) for new offerings. Build ecosystems, products and communities with cloud partners and customers. Develop VAR, GSI and distribution partnerships. Sector Go‑to‑Market We are building out expertise in telco, finance, automotive, energy, retail and health sectors, expanding sector‑specific investments to address customer needs and trends. Field Engineering Field engineering is an advanced solution‑architect team committed to accelerating customer adoption and confidence as Ubuntu and our open‑source solutions displace incumbent providers. Customer Success A new organisation dedicated to establishing processes and relationships, expected to grow as we expand our portfolio and deepen into solution sales. Revenue Operations (Sales Ops) Ensure correct reporting of pipeline and progress. Ensure contracting processes and terms meet agreed standards. Agree on variances through commercial reviews with company leadership. Recognise and reward salespeople and leaders with MBO goals and compensation plans. Required Experience and Qualifications University degree, preferably in CS or STEM with additional business disciplines or degrees. Progressive operational and leadership experience in high‑growth, recurring revenue, global technology firm. Experience leading a sales, partnership or field engineering organisation to maturity and world‑class performance. Deep insights into the enterprise software and infrastructure markets. Additional Skills And Experience We Value Software engineering and architecture experience or skills. Software industry insights on trends, strategy and competition. Insight into open‑source history, dynamics, strategy and competition. Compensation and Benefits Distributed work environment with twice‑yearly in‑person team sprints. Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year. Annual compensation review and performance‑driven bonus. Recognition rewards and 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. Equal Opportunity Employer Canonical is an equal opportunity employer. We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background creates a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration. #J-18808-Ljbffr