Product Manager - Industrial Sector Lead

Overview

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 leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. The company is founder led, profitable and growing. We are hiring a Product Manager – Industrial Sector Lead .

Open source technologies are transforming the industrial sector, enabling innovation in IoT, edge computing, robotics, and Industry 4.0 solutions. Ubuntu is a key component of these innovations, widely deployed across manufacturing, automation, and industrial platforms. Canonical has created a product leadership role for industrial technologies. If you have a passion for tech and business, an appreciation for open source, and good communication skills, you will enjoy a product leadership role at Canonical.

This role is an exceptional opportunity for a technology leader in the industrial sector with experience in automation systems, IoT platforms, and edge computing. Key focus areas include:

• IoT solutions for smart manufacturing and industrial automation
• Edge computing platforms for real-time processing and analytics
• Robotics and AI applications for industrial use cases
• Industry 4.0 technologies and integration with cloud platforms
• Open source software and community engagement in industrial innovation

This role encompasses product leadership and go-to-market strategy in the Industrial sector, ensuring that the product vision is translated into actionable plans and successful market launches, overseeing the entire product lifecycle from conception to delivery, while staying ahead of market demands. Sector Leads work to identify market opportunities, bridge gaps between technology and business, and understand user perception to drive product success in the Industry. They collaborate closely with engineering, design, marketing, sales, and management to gather insights, align business goals with market needs, and drive the success of their products and contribute to the overall business strategy. Sector Leads in Canonical require a blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, project management skills, and effective communication to deliver a technology product that meets user needs and business objectives. We prefer accomplished professionals with software engineering experience who strive to become business executives and entrepreneurs to strategize product development, drive engagement, and promote the open source paradigm.

Location: This role will be based remotely in the EMEA region. You will be expected to be located within this region.

The role entails

• Lead the lifecycle of the product development by reviewing the priorities and goals for the product you are responsible for
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams such as engineering, design, marketing, and sales to address challenges, align on priorities, enable informed decisions, and keep business execution on track
• Conduct market research, analyse industry trends, and gather customer feedback to identify opportunities and ensure alignment with Canonical’s vision
• Communicate the product vision, status updates, and key decisions to ensure alignment and manage expectations
• Conduct usability testing, analyse user feedback, and iterate on the product to improve the user experience
• Collaborate with marketing, sales, and support teams to develop go-to-market strategies, create product documentation, and provide training
• Contribute to the success of our sales team by reviewing customer feedback and participating in customer meetings

What we are looking for in you

• Exceptional academic results at high school and university
• Practised product management experience in technical domains related to open source software
• Solid knowledge of Industry 4.0, IoT, and edge computing technologies
• Excellent writing and presentation skills
• Commercial astuteness for pricing and product strategy
• Understanding of physical compute – servers, networking, storage
• Understanding of industrial-specific open source software such as IoT frameworks, OPC UA, EdgeX Foundry, ROS, and industrial automation platforms
• Understanding of open source infrastructure projects such as Kubernetes and OpenStack
• Solid knowledge of Linux and the wider Open Source Software community and understanding of computer architecture, including awareness of Ubuntu offering
• Passion to write about technologies and the Tech landscape with intellectual curiosity
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for product success
• Problem-solving ability and creative thinking
• Strong work ethic with alignment to the open source philosophy
• Very good English communication skills, both verbal and written
• Willingness to travel up to 4 times a year for internal events

What we offer you

• 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
• 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 high standard for people joining the company. We expect excellence; most colleagues have worked from home since 2004. Working here is a step into the future and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, and learn new skills. Canonical is an equal opportunity employer. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.

We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. We are committed to equal opportunity and fairness for all applicants.

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