Job Description

Introduction

At IBM's Linux Technology Centre, our core value is to help make Linux better. We drive innovative ideas and forward thinking discussions in the Linux community and work towards becoming trusted, valuable members. In turn, we help IBM Power hardware, related software and services brands that are consumed by Enterprise clients to run their mission critical workloads on Linux.

This opportunity gets you involved in all phases of software development and work with a vibrant and technically accomplished team focusing on open source development.

Your Role And Responsibilities

As a lead Linux Kernel Engineer, you will drive the architecture, design, development, and optimization of key Linux kernel components including Memory Management, CPU Scheduler, RAS, I/O, Virtualization (KVM), and Bootloader technologies. You will provide technical leadership for enterprise Linux initiatives on IBM Power systems, ensuring industry-leading performance, scalability, reliability, and maintainability for strategic workloads.

You will collaborate closely with open-source communities, lead the upstreaming of new features and enhancements, mentor engineers, and influence the technical direction of kernel technologies across the Linux on Power ecosystem.

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

12years -18years of experience in Linux internals, operating systems, and Linux kernel development. Strong experience in kernel programming, kernel debugging, performance analysis, and root cause identification.
Hands-on expertise in Linux kernel subsystems such as Memory Management, Filesystems, Virtualization (KVM), Device Drivers, Interrupt Handling, IOMMU/VFIO, Networking, or related areas.
Working knowledge of computer system architecture, including CPU, memory, I/O subsystems, and virtualization technologies.
Strong operating systems fundamentals with deep understanding of process management, scheduling, synchronization, memory management, and storage stacks.
Strong programming skills in C, C++, Python, and shell scripting with experience developing and debugging low-level system software.
Experience working with open-source software, contributing to upstream Linux kernel communities, reviewing patches, and maintaining kernel code.
Hands-on experience with kernel tracing and debugging tools such as GDB, crash, ftrace, perf, eBPF, SystemTap, or kgdb.
Experience in kernel performance tuning, problem determination, and resolution of complex system-level issues.
Proven problem-solving, design, collaboration, and communication skills with the ability to drive technical discussions across teams.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

Experience with Linux upstream community and LKML participation Ability to develop, submit, and maintain kernel patches Strong code review skills ensuring quality and standards compliance Proficiency with tools like git and checkpatch Effective collaboration with maintainers and community to drive upstream contribution