Senior Comms Manager at Canonical - Remote EMEA — Columbus

Be the Voice of Canonical

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 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.

We're looking for an energetic and creative Senior Communications Manager with experience in analyst relations (AR) to join our communications team. The ideal person for this role will drive communications strategy through the analyst relations channel in order to increase Canonical's visibility among industry influencers and shape market perception.

Canonical serves a diverse customer base, ranging from end users to startups, large enterprises and governments. Our portfolio is broad in scope and in reach. The ideal candidate is passionate about technology, curious about shaping the evolving AR field, and relishes the challenge of communicating a diverse product range based on trusted open source.

The AR field is becoming increasingly data-driven. Market research is also changing as a discipline thanks to AI models. As the voice of Canonical towards analysts and industry influencers, you will define and implement a strategy for data-driven engagement across portfolio areas, building on key narratives, developing new ones, and establishing relationships to advance our position across markets and foster long-term brand equity.

This role will involve close partnership with the Product Management function within the company, as well as the Alliances, Sales and Marketing teams, to communicate key product news and announcements and manage perception of Canonical and its range of products among analysts. You will have the opportunity to shape the AR field in the company and help our organization stay ahead of the curve using technologies like AI to conduct market research and assess market perception, delivering insights to the business.

This is a senior position and sits in the communications team reporting to the Director of Communications.

Location: This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region.

What Your Day Will Look Like

• Prepare and execute analyst-focused communications plans for product announcements, new partnerships and other initiatives in line with our go-to-market strategy
• Proactively look for ways to use new technologies like AI to analyze market trends and assess analyst perception and sentiment of Canonical and its products
• Understand GenAI platforms developed by analyst firms and ensure they contain the right information about Canonical's portfolio
• Craft and deliver compelling narratives about Canonical and its products in line with our company vision
• Manage analyst relationships directly, coordinating touchpoints throughout the year both through online briefings and industry events
• Measure the impact of the AR program, reporting regularly on progress to leadership, implementing the necessary tooling to improve collaboration and managing spend
• Proactively position the company in key analyst reports to drive recommendations and strengthen the company's brand
• Support the Director of Communications on Corporate Communications initiatives

What We Are Looking For in You

• Extensive experience in communications with proven achievements in the AR field and market research
• Experience managing technology communications (agency or in-house) or global AR programs
• A track record of delivering innovative and successful communications campaigns in the technology space, and enhancing company positioning through AR programs
• Experience in cloud/SaaS/open source technology
• An analytical eye and the ability to develop measurement frameworks to inform decision making at leadership level
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and aptitude for forging trusting relationships across diverse, cross-functional teams to ensure alignment between campaign objectives and PR/AR initiatives
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proven ability to prioritize and differentiate what matters from the noise, meeting deadlines without sacrificing quality
• Affinity for planning is a must; experience with project management tools like Jira is an advantage
• Background in product management or product marketing is a plus
• Willingness to travel up to 4 times a year for internal events

What We Offer You

Your base pay will depend on various factors including your geographical location, level of experience, knowledge and skills. In addition to the benefits above, certain roles are also eligible for additional benefits and rewards including annual bonuses and sales incentives based on revenue or utilisation. Our compensation philosophy is to ensure equity right across our global workforce.

In addition to a competitive base pay, we provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. Please note that additional benefits may apply depending on the work location and, for more information on these, please ask your Talent Partner.

• Fully remote working environment — we've been working remotely since 2004!
• Personal learning and development budget of $2,000 USD per annum
• Annual compensation review
• Recognition rewards
• Annual holiday leave
• Parental leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues at 'sprints'
• Priority Pass for travel 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 on a daily basis. 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. Work at Canonical is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game. Canonical provides a unique window into the world of 21st-century digital business.

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.