Director, Talent Science – Canonical

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 public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation and IoT. The company has 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. The company is founder‑led, profitable and growing.

Our Talent Science team has a mission to ensure that we follow objective, scientifically rigorous and efficient processes to select the very best new colleagues regardless of location, culture or background. We work closely with key stakeholders to ensure decisions are made in the right way and that our hiring model supports the selection of world‑class talent. We lead an effective hiring ecosystem to deliver talent acquisition excellence, leveraging data to enable evidence‑based decisions and weaving behavioural science throughout our selection process.

Role Context

Due to growth, we are hiring four new leadership roles in our Talent Science team to lead on delivery excellence. You will work directly with the Global Head of Talent Science to plan and drive work against our strategic objectives. With overall accountability for project delivery relating to hiring outcomes, you will drive efficiencies, create new processes and coach and develop team members.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver the strategic Talent Science project roadmap using exceptional project management capability and influencing skills to manage multiple projects.
• Design and implement solutions to complex problems that ensure we hire exceptional talent.
• Ensure all talent selection initiatives map to high performance outcomes and career frameworks.
• Design professional processes and frameworks to allow efficient delivery of our agenda.
• Coaching and mentoring team members to grow and develop analytical capabilities and thought leadership, developing training materials and documentation.
• Drive and represent the team in the absence of the Head of Talent Science, acting as a credible and trusted adviser and inspiring leader.
• Work closely with company leaders to understand, appreciate and communicate our vision for talent at Canonical.

Qualifications

• Exceptional academic track record, undergraduate degree in psychology or people‑based subject.
• Track record of team leadership within technology or consulting industry, with exceptional project management, to lead roadmap execution and delivery.
• Proven ability to coach and mentor a team to deliver exceptional results.
• Deep understanding of selection, career frameworks and building internal products to ensure that talent selection criteria matches desired outcomes.
• Advanced analytical ability to dissect and analyse data using SQL, Python and/or statistical analysis.
• Exceptional written and spoken English with strong presentation skills for a senior audience.
• Ability to travel internationally four times a year for company events.

Nice‑to‑have Skills

• Advanced psychometric assessments with an excellent understanding of the marketplace and vendors.
• Deep understanding of human behaviour and what drives intrinsic motivation.
• Experience of using Superset and advanced dashboarding.

Benefits

• 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.

Location

This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region.

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. 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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