Senior Linux Engineer

Assa Abloy Group; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Cardiff is seeking a Senior Linux Engineer to design and maintain custom Linux distributions. The role requires 5+ years of experience in Linux kernel development and a strong focus on kernel debugging, device drivers, and security. This hybrid position allows for up to 2 remote days a week, offering a competitive salary and a vibrant culture within the organization.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Annual leave offering

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of Linux kernel development experience.
• Deep experience with kernel debugging tools.
• Familiarity with secure boot processes.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain a custom Linux distribution.
• Modify the Linux kernel and debug device drivers.
• Implement security measures such as secure boot.

Skills

Linux kernel development

Device driver development

C programming

Shell scripting

Kernel debugging tools

Tools

Yocto

Buildroot

Git

Job description

An Amazing Career Opportunity for a Senior Linux Engineer!!!

Location: Cardiff, UK

This is a role as a senior engineer in our core systems biometrics team focused on low-level Linux development.

The ideal candidate will be instrumental in designing, maintaining, and evolving our custom Linux distribution and should be deeply familiar with Linux kernel internals, custom builds, device driver development, and system performance optimization.

We are looking for someone who is hands-on, takes initiative, and thrives in solving complex technical challenges involving embedded systems, OS-level programming, and secure platforms.

This is a hybrid role based in Cardiff, UK. Our current hybrid working model allows 2 remote days per week.

Who are we?

HID Global powers the trusted identities of the world’s people, places, and things, allowing people to transact safely, work productively and travel freely. We are a high-tech software company headquartered in Austin, TX, with over 4,500 worldwide employees.

HID Physical Access Control Solutions (PACS) is at the forefront of securing spaces with advanced, reliable access control solutions.

Job Responsibilities

• Designing and maintaining a custom Linux distribution tailored to embedded use cases.
• Contributing to and modifying the Linux kernel (mainline or forks).
• Writing and debugging device drivers for bespoke hardware.
• Creating and maintaining device tree source.
• Implementing robust bootloaders, kernel modules, and init systems.
• Managing distro build systems using tools like Yocto and Buildroot.
• Enforcing security e.g. secure boot, trusted execution environments and read-only rootfs.
• Debugging kernel panics.
• Reviewing kernel configurations with an eye to security (e.g. KASLR).
• Creating and managing SELinux/AppArmour profiles.
• Leading the design of scalable system update mechanisms and diagnostics tools.
• Performing code reviews and mentoring junior engineers.
• Interfacing with hardware, product, and application teams to ensure holistic system behaviour.
• Staying current with upstream changes, patches, and security advisories.

Requirements

• 5+ years of Linux kernel development experience.
• Proven track record working on kernel-space and user-space integration.
• Deep experience with kernel debugging tools (ftrace, kprobes, perf, etc.).
• Expertise in C and shell scripting; familiarity with Python and Rust is a plus.
• Familiar with secure boot processes (e.g., U-Boot, GRUB with TPM, dm-verity).
• Familiarity with file system overlays, systemd and initramfs.
• Experience with deploying Linux on Arm.
• Knowledge of filesystems, memory management, and I/O subsystems.
• Exposure to real-time Linux (PREEMPT_RT or similar) is a strong advantage.
• Experience managing custom Linux distro lifecycle (build, release, patching).
• Comfortable working with Git version control, CI/CD systems, and collaborative tools.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and rewards package.
• Competitive benefits and annual leave offering, allowing for work-life balance.
• A vibrant, welcoming & inclusive culture.
• Extensive career development opportunities and resources to maximize your potential.
• To be a part of a global organization that is pioneering the hardware, software and services that allow people to confidently navigate the physical and digital worlds.

We make it easier for people to get where they want to go! When you join our HID team, you’ll also be part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, the global leader in access solutions.