About the Job :
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux Engineering (RHEL) team is looking for a skilled and passionate developer with strong Linux operating system experience to join us as a Principal Software Engineer. In this role, you will focus on developing, deploying, integrating, and validating RHEL workloads on multiple public clouds including AWS, GCP, and Azure. You will work in an environment where diverse perspectives are invited, the best ideas are valued, and people feel empowered to contribute.
As a Principal Software Engineer, your contributions go directly into the RHEL ecosystem and upstream communities like the Kernel, KVM, and Cloud-provider projects to escalate your influence and value in the industry. You will work as a pioneer on cutting-edge initiatives that allow virtualized workloads to thrive in massive-scale public cloud environments.
What You Will Do?
Participate in RHEL development developing features, root causing and fixing bugs including validation for multiple public clouds.
Troubleshoot, brainstorm, design, and deliver fixes for internal and external customers related to your area of expertise.
Tackle the intellectual challenge of complex bug resolution while having the creative freedom to develop next-generation features.
Engage in technical discussions, team brainstorming sessions, and planning to contribute to the next generation of features and innovations.
Lead new initiatives or projects technically, owning the topic and driving the work forward through collaboration with stakeholders.
Mentor junior-level engineers and act as a technical guide for the team.
What You Will Bring ?
10+ years of relevant experience as a software engineer with a track record of high-impact contributions.
Expert-level Linux development experience, including deep knowledge of Linux kernel or low-level userspace components.
Extensive experience in Virtualization and KVM development, specifically focused on how the hypervisor interacts with hardware and cloud infrastructure.
Proven proficiency in developing for Major Public Clouds, with specific expertise in AWS, GCP, and Azure environments and their respective virtualization stacks.
Strong programming skills in C (knowledge of Python or Rust is a significant advantage).
In-depth understanding of operating system concepts and the "upstream first" open-source development model.
Project leadership skills to take initiative, manage complex technical roadmaps, and drive work forward across distributed teams.
Proven ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders in English.
The following are considered as a plus:
Full-stack contribution experience, including authoring automated tests to ensure the quality and functionality of the code.
Broad infrastructure knowledge covering Oracle Cloud, VMware, or Hyper-V regarding deployment and operations.
External technical influence, evidenced by public speaking at conferences, technical blogs, or published articles.
Prior experience with large-scale cloud migration or hardware enablement projects.
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 encouraged to bring their best ideas, no matter their title or tenure. We're a leader in open source because of our open and inclusive environment. We hire creative, passionate people ready to contribute their ideas, help solve complex problems, and make an impact.
Inclusion at Red Hat
Red Hat’s culture is built on the open source principles of transparency, collaboration, and inclusion, where the best ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. When this is realized, it empowers people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to come together to share ideas, challenge the status quo, and drive innovation. Our aspiration is that everyone experiences this culture with equal opportunity and access, and that all voices are not only heard but also celebrated. We hope you will join our celebration, and we welcome and encourage applicants from all the beautiful dimensions that compose our global village.
Equal Opportunity Policy (EEO)
Red Hat is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We review applications for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, veteran status, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
Red Hat does not seek or accept unsolicited resumes or CVs from recruitment agencies. We are not responsible for, and will not pay, any fees, commissions, or any other payment related to unsolicited resumes or CVs except as required in a written contract between Red Hat and the recruitment agency or party requesting payment of a fee.
Red Hat supports individuals with disabilities and provides reasonable accommodations to job applicants. If you need assistance completing our online job application, email [email protected]. General inquiries, such as those regarding the status of a job application, will not receive a reply.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of relevant engineering experience
- Strong programming skills in C
- Development experience in Linux kernel or userspace components
- In-depth understanding of operating system concepts, particularly Linux
- Understanding of open source and free software community workflows
- Proven ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Project leadership skills to take initiative and drive work forward
- Full English proficiency (verbal and written)
- Python programming (testing and development)
- Experience with public cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud, VMware, Hyper-V)
- Public speaking, blogs, or published articles
Red Hat Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Red Hat and has not been reviewed or approved by Red Hat.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is presented as comprehensive, spanning medical, dental, and vision along with life and disability coverage. Access to HSA/FSA options and broadly positive reception of health benefits support the view that healthcare is a core strength.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off offerings are described as generous, with substantial PTO for new hires plus additional recharge days and an end-of-year shutdown for many non-critical roles. Paid volunteer time, holidays, sick days, and supportive expectations around taking time off reinforce the breadth of leave benefits.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — The rewards package includes performance bonuses and a recurring quarterly bonus program tied to company and individual performance. Availability of ESPP participation further adds to incentive pathways beyond base pay.
Red Hat Insights
What We Do
At Red Hat, we connect an innovative community of customers, partners, and contributors to deliver an open source stack of trusted, high-performing solutions. We offer cloud, Linux, middleware, storage, and virtualization technologies, together with award-winning global customer support, consulting, and implementation services. Red Hat is a rapidly growing company supporting more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies.
Why Work With Us
Red Hatters freely exchange different viewpoints, contribute ideas, and solve problems together. Our love of collaboration, accountability, a sense of community, and a measure of autonomy combine to create a powerful force that fosters innovation and makes Red Hat a great place to work.
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