Manager, People Analytics

About the role

The Workplace Engineering function sits at the intersection of traditional HR analytics and modern Product Engineering. We transform raw workforce data into a suite of "People Products" that drive high performance. This role reports directly to the Global Head of Workplace Engineering within our Data discipline inside the People department.

Experienced data professionals at Canonical live at the intersection of software, data, and the business. They help transform analytic artifacts into strategic assets that elevate decision-making and innovation across global operations (e.g., sales, marketing, engineering, and human resources). They balance technical precision with business pragmatism, designing experiments, automations, and products that turn insights into valued outcomes. They shape tomorrow's AI/Data stack in open source, ensuring Canonical remains at the forefront of data-driven excellence.

This is a remote role based in the AMER or EMEA Region.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a specialized squad of People Data Scientists, Software Engineers, and UX Designers.
• Bridge the gap between "HR-speak" and "Dev-speak," ensuring engineers understand the human behavioral intent behind the code.
• Move beyond descriptive metrics (e.g., turnover rate) to predictive and prescriptive insights (e.g., predicting attrition risk based on "Time-Product" engagement data).
• Act as the "Translator-in-Chief," turning complex data models into compelling narratives and leading the development of AI Agents that surface insights to managers in real-time.
• Ensure the "People Data Stack" is secure, GDPR/privacy-compliant, and acts as a "Single Source of Truth" across all People-related offerings, products, and services.
• Identify opportunities to leverage "High Tech" solutions in People offerings to maximize human value through "High Touch" involvement.

Requirements

• Background in data science, mathematics, or engineering, with skills in advanced statistics, data wrangling/science, databases (SQL, etc.), or software engineering.
• Proficiency in coding/scripting languages (Python, R, JavaScript, etc.), software engineering, visualization (e.g., Superset, Tableau), and automation.
• Ability to translate business questions into key research objectives and identify the best methodology to execute research, synthesize, and analyze findings.
• Proven ability to lead and drive others to execute against well-planned roadmaps, with a strong mentor/coaching mindset.
• Willingness to examine the status quo and resilience in the face of challenges.
• Ambition to build tomorrow's AI/Data stack in open source.
• Exceptional academic track record from high school and university.
• Business-level written and spoken English.
• Sincere personal motivation aligned with our mission.
• Willingness to travel internationally 2-4 times a year for company events, up to two weeks long.

Nice-to-have skills

• Experience with dbt (Data Build Tool), Airbyte, Ranger, Superset, Temporal, or Trino.
• Basic understanding of containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience with Agentic Engineering, product management, or user experience and design.

Values

We expect you to match our values by being:

• Precise: taking care to deliver correctness and clarity.
• Reliable: delivering high-quality work that builds trust and confidence.
• Accessible: collaborating to build products and systems that are usable.
• Adroit: blending enthusiasm, knowledge, adaptability, style, and character.

Benefits

• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person.
• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year.
• Bi-annual compensation review.
• Company recognition rewards.
• 40 days annual leave per annum, including public holidays and All Company holiday periods.
• Maternity and paternity leave.
• Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform.
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues, with Priority Pass for lounge access.

Pay

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We assess performance and revisit compensation twice annually to ensure we recognize outstanding colleagues. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission.

About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source. 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, as well as industry leaders in many sectors. We are founder-led, profitable, and growing.

Powered by worldwide distributed collaboration since our inception in 2004, we believe tech and business leadership can emerge anywhere. We have no central headquarters. Most of us work from home, but we are exceptionally disciplined about this. We have very high expectations of all colleagues and are champions of excellence. Working here is a step into the future and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.