Enterprise Open Source Sales Director

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 our global enterprise sales organisation. We are hiring regional sales directors in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Central America and North America, each of whom will be responsible for several teams of five to ten enterprise sales representatives.
We deliver better open source from the data center to cloud and edge. Our Linux distribution Ubuntu is now the leading platform for public cloud compute, and the favorite platform for software engineers, data scientists and AI developers. Our mission is to accelerate the adoption and quality of open source globally, and our goal is to ship the most software on the planet by cores. A tidal wave of open source innovation is the next phase of the entire enterprise software industry, and we aim to be the most compelling way to ride that wave.
Canonical provides licensed enterprise software products, commercial support, managed services, consulting and training services to customers who are deploying Ubuntu or open source applications on the cloud, in their data center, or to the connected device and IoT ecosystem. We are just over 1,000 colleagues in 70+ countries and over $250m in revenue, profitable, on a steady but relentless growth trajectory. We are almost entirely distributed, with leadership spread across many countries. We believe that talent is equally distributed across the globe, and we are excited to hire, develop, promote and ultimately trust a diverse group of exceptional leads to build the best, not biggest, enterprise software company.
We hire carefully and deliberately; our selection process is long and requires substantial work from applicants. It will take successful applicants three to six months to secure an offer. This is not a place to apply if you are in a rush to find a position, it is a worthwhile place to apply if you are ambitious and long-term in your thinking about your career and the dynamics which move the world forward. If you see clearly the rise of open source, and you understand the drivers of enterprise procurement and technical decision making, then you will understand why Canonical has such a tremendous long term advantage. You will also understand, given the ferocity of competition and the challenges of competing in a market of giants, that we have to set a very high bar for hiring and performance. In order to be a world leading company we select for exceptional ability as well as character, and then provide an environment which promotes teamwork and celebrates diligence, collaboration and effectiveness.
In building our sales team, we look for five things:
Empathy for the customer - a real understanding of customer needs, industry-specific challenges, and a desire to help customers solve their business problemsHigh intellect - the ability to learn quickly, understand very complex subjects, and communicate clearly to build trust and confidencePassion for technology - a fascination with the state of the art from brilliant people solving hard problems, and fierce competition for large prizesTeamwork - a willingness to help others, to collaborate well with people from different disciplines, and to balance personal and team ambitionsEnergy - the drive to motivate oneself and others to achieve the best result for the team and our customersUbuntu is already very widely adopted which gives us a credible basis for conversations in the market. Nevertheless, it requires real work for sales professionals to build on that adoption to create trusted and profitable commercial relationships with the enterprises in their territory. Our product managers and marketing teams run campaigns to generate awareness, engagement and leads, but you will need to go beyond managing inbound interest to develop the potential of your territory. You will need judgement as to which industries and companies are ready to go deeper with open source and Canonical, and energy to develop relationships in advance of proven interest. We expect professional practice, territory and account planning, as well as clear, complete and continuous reporting on pipeline status and activity, using standard professional tools.
The successful candidate will carry an annual team bookings quota within their territory. They should be able to travel regionally for client engagement, industry conferences, and internationally for company events twice a year. They will be expected to demonstrate professionalism and effectiveness in managing their team. They will need to coach, mentor and lead by example. Their sales representatives are expected to prospect accounts for new business, maintain and develop existing relationships, and work with colleagues and partners on account strategy. They must be comfortable selling enterprise software, open source, cloud, virtualization, container technologies and technical software solutions to senior levels of the enterprise.
Location: We are expanding our sales organisation globally and have open roles in every region.
What your day will look like: Build and execute a territory plan to prioritize outreach and prospectingAllocate portions of territory and accounts to sales representatives on your teamIdentify and prioritise new logo accounts in your territory for account-based marketing and prospectingEnsure that sales representatives have high quality account plans for existing accounts and priority prospectsMonitor new pipeline development by your team, through outreach, prospecting, local marketing, and industry eventsSupport contract closure to meet and exceed quarterly and annual bookings targetsBe mindful and proactive in achieving tactical and strategic objectivesWork with customer success to identify growth opportunitiesEnsure your team maintain accurate pipeline data and forecasts within SalesforceRepresent the company, its solutions and softwareWhat we are looking for in you: Bachelor's level degree, preferably in engineering or computer scienceLeadership and management skillExperience of open source technology and solutionsDetail oriented with effective planning, organisation and reporting skillExperience in enterprise software or technology sales planning and executionTrack record of achievement in sales targets and new account winsSelf-discipline and motivation to be successful in a distributed teamProfessional written and spoken English, as well as any language that may be appropriate for your target marketAbility to travel for customer engagements, industry events and company eventsAdditional Skills Of Interest: Specific vertical experience, in particular finance, telco, health, energy, public sector, techExperience speaking at conferences or industry eventsWhat we offer you: We consider geographical location, experience, and performance when 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 commission structure. 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.
On-target earnings between USD 300k and USD 450kDistributed work environment with twice-yearly team meetings in personPersonal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per yearAnnual compensation reviewRecognition rewardsAnnual holiday leaveMaternity and paternity leaveEmployee Assistance ProgramOpportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleaguesPriority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company eventsAbout 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 fully distributed 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.

#J-18808-Ljbffr