Director, Open Source Sovereignty & Community Engagement

About the Company A perfect storm of geopolitical, regulatory, and technological forces is reshaping the European digital landscape, creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a truly sovereign digital future. At SUSE, we believe this future must be built on the transparent, collaborative, and secure foundation of open source. We have launched SUSE Sovereign Solutions, a new, agile group within our CEO's office, to lead this charge. About the Role We are seeking “a Tri-Sector athlete” to join this team as the Director of Open Source Sovereignty & Community Strategy. If you are a passionate open source advocate with a deep understanding of public policy and a talent for building strategic alliances, this is your chance to make a historic impact. The role demands a potent combination of technical credibility, policy acumen, and business vision. This individual must be capable of operating across the distinct worlds of open-source development, public policy, and enterprise partnerships. They are a technologist-diplomat. Responsibilities Open Source & Community Leadership: Serve as SUSE's most prominent voice and evangelist for open-source sovereignty in Europe. Forge deep, strategic relationships with key open-source foundations (e.g., Linux Foundation Europe, CNCF), influential projects, and community leaders. Drive the narrative that true digital sovereignty is impossible without the transparency, auditability, and freedom from lock-in that only open source provides.Sovereign Ecosystem Development: In close collaboration with the EMEA ecosystem team, architect and drive the strategy for building a world-class ecosystem of European sovereign MSPs, ISVs, and technology partners. Drive the co-development of innovative solutions, including our "Get to Sovereign' easy button," a suite of services that will simplify the delivery and management of sovereign infrastructure anywhere.Policy & Standards Influence: Engage directly with technical policymakers, standards bodies, and influential groups (e.g., Gaia-X hubs, EU policy forums, national cybersecurity agencies) across Europe. Proactively analyze emerging legislation and standards to inform SUSE's strategy. Work to embed SUSE's open-source principles into emerging sovereignty standards and best practices, positioning SUSE as a trusted advisor and a foundational pillar of Europe's digital future.Thought Leadership: Act as the senior subject matter expert on open source digital sovereignty for the SUSE leadership team and the broader market. Develop and publish high-impact content, including white papers, keynote presentations, and articles, that shapes the market conversation. Represent SUSE at the highest levels at industry, policy, and community events, articulating our vision and strategy to a wide range of audiences. Qualifications Open Source Credibility: A demonstrable history of meaningful engagement and leadership within the open-source community. Technical knowledge of the modern cloud-native stack (Linux, Kubernetes, containers, CI/CD etc).Policy Acumen: Proven experience in and understanding of the European technology policy landscape, including key initiatives like Gaia-X and the NIS2 Directive. Experience engaging with EU institutions or national regulatory bodies is highly desirable.Ecosystem Experience: Experience in designing and building strategic partner ecosystems, moving beyond simple reseller models to foster co-innovation and joint go-to-market success.Tech-to-Enterprise Articulation: Fluent in the language of both engineering and enterprise. The ability to connect technical features (e.g., auditability, interoperability) directly to high-level business concerns (e.g., risk mitigation, competitive advantage, total cost of ownership) and national/regulatory outcomes (e.g., compliance, resilience).Exceptional Communication and Influence: World-class public speaking, writing, and presentation skills. The ability to command a room and communicate complex ideas with clarity and passion to both technical and non-technical C-level audiences.Strategic Mindset: The ability to think strategically about market trends, competitive dynamics, and policy shifts, and to translate that thinking into actionable plans that drive business results. Equal Opportunity Statement We are committed to diversity and inclusivity.