Linux Kernel Software Engineer

Job Summary

Red Hat's Automotive Kernel Engineering team is looking for a Linux Kernel Software Engineer to join us on Red Hat's In-Vehicle Operating System. In this role you will be part of a growing team focused on Linux Kernel development for use in automotive, real-time and Edge applications, providing hardware enablement for new Arm platforms.

At Red Hat, our commitment to open source innovation extends beyond our products - it’s embedded in how we work and grow. Red Hatters embrace change – especially in our fast-moving technological landscape – and have a strong growth mindset. That's why we encourage our teams to proactively, thoughtfully, and ethically use AI to simplify their workflows, cut complexity, and boost efficiency. This empowers our associates to focus on higher-impact work, creating smart, more innovative solutions that solve our customers' most pressing challenges.

What you will do:

• Backport upstream features and fixes to our In-Vehicle Operating System releases

• Investigate how the kernel and other components support Functional Safety

• Work with Red Hat colleagues and platform vendors bringing up and tuning new embedded platforms

• Create and maintain kernel packages

• Collaborate in the automotive partner ecosystem

• Collaborate with the Engineering, Quality Engineering, Product Management, Documentation, and product build teams

• Participate and collaborate with the open source community, specially the broader upstream Linux community

• Have fun!

What you will bring:

• Expertise in Linux device driver development, board bring-up, kernel boot optimization

• Familiarity with Device Tree

• Familiarity with Git and upstream Linux kernel patch posting procedures,  experience with upstream development

• Experience with backporting upstream code to Linux distributions, kernel configuration, building, and testing

• Familiarity with embedded systems and their ecosystems

• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to work on your own in a small team environment

• Ability to coordinate and prioritize multiple tasks

• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills

The following are considered a plus:

• Expertise in one or more kernel subsystems that is verifiable through upstream discussions/contributions posts

• Familiarity in early boot flow of Arm processors

• Experience working with chip manufacturers, automotive manufactures, tier 1 suppliers

• Experience with Functional Safety concepts

• Experience with network device drivers

• Experience with Linux kernel PREEMPT_RT

• Experience with Fedora, CentOS and RHEL

• Experience with debugging Linux kernel issues

• Experience with grub, uboot, UEFI

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The salary range for this position is $108,760.00 - $173,800.00. Actual offer will be based on your qualifications.

Pay Transparency

Red Hat determines compensation based on several factors including but not limited to job location, experience, applicable skills and training, external market value, and internal pay equity. Annual salary is one component of Red Hat’s compensation package. This position may also be eligible for bonus, commission, and/or equity. For positions with Remote-US locations, the actual salary range for the position may differ based on location but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience. 

About Red Hat

Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver high-performing Linux, cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Spread across 40+ countries, our associates work flexibly across work environments, from in-office, to office-flex, to fully remote, depending on the requirements of their role. Red Hatters are en