Business Services Team Manager

About 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 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 across multiple sectors. The company is founder-led, profitable and growing, with 1200+ colleagues distributed across more than 80 countries and very few office-based roles.

The Role

We are hiring a Business Services Team Manager to lead efficient and effective operations across travel, logistics, event management, scheduling, expense policy and administration. This is an executive-level position requiring outstanding coordination, planning, decision-making, budgeting, procurement, reporting and team management skills in a fast-paced, complex tech industry environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage travel approvals, logistics and global operations for company initiatives
• Oversee expense review and policy compliance across all teams and countries
• Plan and execute large-scale company events four times annually, coordinating travel for hundreds of people from 80+ countries
• Manage visa applications, travel complications and unexpected operational situations across diverse international locations
• Serve as independent checkpoint on expense claim approvals, ensuring fairness and consistency
• Provide executive assistant services for company leadership across departments
• Schedule meetings, coordinate monthly reports and handle delegated approvals
• Manage supplier relationships and run cross-functional projects and initiatives
• Participate actively in all company events from planning through execution and safety reviews

What We're Looking For

This role demands excellent judgment and interpersonal skills, confidence to hold teams accountable while defending policy positions, and the work ethic to move quickly through high volumes of complex work. You'll need integrity, transparency and accountability, with a willingness to set and defend consistent expectations across all organizational levels, from junior colleagues to senior executives.

You must establish strong personal relationships with team leaders and ensure seamless event execution. Your ability to navigate tens of millions in operational costs and make sound tactical and operational decisions will directly impact every team at Canonical.

Impact & Scale

Together, these responsibilities manage tens of millions in operational costs and require rigorous attention to detail. This team serves as the backbone of company culture-building initiatives, ensuring that large-scale distributed teams across 80+ countries can collaborate effectively and safely.

💰 Compensation not publicly listed. Market estimate for similar roles: from $80K, varying by experience and location.