Software Alliances Manager at Canonical - Remote Americas — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
Remote-First, Americas-Wide: Canonical has operated as a fully distributed company since 2004, making this role genuinely location-independent within the Americas region. The culture is built around async work and self-direction — strong green flags for digital nomads who want flexibility in their daily schedule rather than fixed office hours.
Timezone Considerations: The Americas scope (US, Canada, LATAM) means you'll need to be available during broad Americas business hours — roughly UTC-8 to UTC-3. This suits nomads based in popular hubs like Medellín, Colombia (UTC-5), Mexico City (UTC-6), or even Lisbon, Portugal during summer (UTC+1, with overlap in the mornings). Southeast Asia would be very challenging for this role.
Travel Perks: Up to 25% travel is baked into the role — including international trips — plus Priority Pass lounge access and travel upgrades for long-haul company events. Twice-yearly team sprints provide structured in-person connection. The $2,000 annual L&D budget could also fund certifications or coworking space memberships.
- Medellín: Monthly costs ~$1,200–$1,800; Colombia digital nomad visa available (up to 2 years)
- Mexico City: Monthly costs ~$1,500–$2,200; Mexico's Temporary Resident visa suits long-term stays
- Buenos Aires: Monthly costs ~$800–$1,400; Argentina's digital nomad visa program is growing
No coworking stipend is explicitly mentioned, but the distributed-first culture means equipment and connectivity are your own responsibility. Confirm equipment policies during the interview process.
The Software Alliances team at Canonical works with leading software companies to optimize and enable their products with Ubuntu and other Canonical software, including AI offerings. We develop joint product roadmaps, drive delivery, and formulate go-to-market plans, content, and processes — enabling differentiated offerings and robust product life-cycle support anchored to best-in-class Canonical products. Enterprises receive the benefits of open source, securely maintained, and validated solutions from cloud to edge, whether purchased from Canonical, embedded in Alliance partners' products, or accessed through the cloud.
The successful candidate has demonstrated success in business development or product management, both as a leader and an individual contributor in major accounts. If you are passionate about open source, can navigate complex technical challenges, learn quickly, and architect solutions and strategies across global teams, this role is for you. This role is ideal for professionals with 7+ years of experience.
Location: This role will be based remotely in the Americas region.
The Role Entails
- Setting the account strategy in a major account, region, and/or vertical.
- Collaborating with product, engineering, alliance, and marketing teams at partners to align on open-source strategies.
- Capturing partner requirements, evaluating gaps, and identifying Canonical opportunities.
- Coordinating with marketing and product teams on messaging, content creation, and launch plans.
- Creating partner- and customer-facing materials such as reference architectures, joint blueprints, webinars, presentations, videos, and white papers.
- Driving Ubuntu adoption within targeted alliance accounts, advocating its benefits to stakeholders, and working with partners on enablement training for their development, delivery, support, and commercial teams.
- Influencing alliance partners to build with Canonical technology.
- Up to 25% travel, including internationally, for internal conferences and to drive partnerships in person.
What We Are Looking For
- Demonstrated cross-functional leadership and influence.
- Exceptional academic track record from both high school and university, or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path.
- Bachelor's degree in science, technology, and/or engineering.
- Experience in software development and system architecture.
- Customer-facing experience in software engineering, product management, business development, technology strategy, or similar functions.
- Excellent communication skills across all levels of stakeholders — individual contributors to the C-suite; ability to grasp complex material and synthesize key points.
- Ability to think and work at both strategic and tactical levels.
- Disciplined and self-motivated for a remote-first workplace environment.
Nice-to-Have Skills and Experience
- Experience with open source software and open source business models.
- Product management or program management experience.
- Understanding of marketing and go-to-market strategy.
- Sector-specific experience in finance, telecommunications, automotive, or public sectors.
- Working knowledge of independent hardware and software vendor go-to-market motions.
- Post-graduate degree in science, technology, or engineering.
What We Offer Colleagues
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 recognize 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
- Team Member 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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