Principal Engineer II (Linux team)

ICON Clinical Research; Ireland; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Health insurance

Retirement plan

LifeWorks EAP

Job summary

ICON plc is seeking a Principal Engineer II to lead Linux platforms, spanning on‑premises and virtualization, with focus on GPFS, OpenShift/Kubernetes and OpenShift AI.

You will drive architecture, security hardening, and automation while shaping platform modernization and operational excellence. Office hybrid role with 60% in Dublin HQ; occasional on‑call rotation may apply.

Qualifications

• Extensive Linux system engineering and administration experience (RHEL/CentOS).
• Proven GPFS Spectrum Scale design, deployment and tuning.
• OpenShift/Kubernetes cluster management and container orchestration experience.
• VMware infrastructure experience.
• Strong scripting in Bash, Python; IaC tooling like Terraform/Ansible.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical architecture for business-critical projects and ensure delivery.
• Design and maintain scalable Linux environments across on‑prem and virtualized platforms.
• Administer and optimize IBM Spectrum Scale for high-performance storage.
• Deploy and manage OpenShift/Kubernetes platforms and OpenShift AI.
• Collaborate with DevOps, security, and apps teams to align platform capabilities.
• Implement security hardening, patching, and compliance practices.
• Drive automation via scripting and infrastructure-as-code.
• Mentor engineers and set engineering standards and docs.

Skills

Linux systems

Automation scripting

OpenShift/Kubernetes

VMware

Security hardening

Leadership

Communication

Tools

IBM Spectrum Scale GPFS

OpenShift AI

Prometheus

Grafana

ELK Stack

SolarWinds

Job description

Principal Engineer II - Office Hybrid in Dublin, Ireland

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We're proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Principal Engineer II to join our Linux team, and to provide senior technical leadership in designing, implementing, and supporting enterprise-grade Linux platforms. This role is critical to maintaining the reliability, scalability, and security of infrastructure that underpins business-critical services. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in Linux systems, I BM Spectrum Scale (GPFS), Red Hat OpenShift/Kubernetes, OpenShift AI and VMware, and will play a key role in driving innovation, operational excellence, and platform modernization.

This role is ideal for a seasoned Linux engineer who thrives in complex environments and is passionate about building resilient, scalable platforms. As a Principal Engineer II, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the infrastructure strategy while acting as a trusted technical leader for mission-critical initiatives.

This is an Office Hybrid role with 60% office-attendance (3 times a week) in our HQ in Leopardstown, Dublin. May require participation in an on‑call rotation. Occasional off-hours work for maintenance or incident response.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead for business-critical projects, owning architecture, design decisions, and successful delivery.
• Design, implement, and maintain highly available, scalable Linux environments across on‑premises and virtualized platforms.
• Administer and optimize IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS) for high‑performance, distributed storage and data management.
• Deploy, manage, and enhance container platforms using OpenShift/Kubernetes, and OpenShift AI, ensuring secure and efficient application delivery.
• Manage and optimize virtualized infrastructure leveraging VMware technologies.
• Ensure system stability, performance, availability, and data integrity across all Linux‑based infrastructure.
• Develop and implement security hardening standards, ensuring compliance with organizational and industry best practices.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis for complex system and performance issues in distributed environments.
• Drive automation initiatives using scripting and infrastructure‑as‑code to improve efficiency and reduce operational risk.
• Collaborate with application, DevOps, security, and infrastructure teams to align platform capabilities with business needs.
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, best practices, and documentation.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers, fostering skill development and knowledge sharing.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Linux system engineering and administration (e.g., RHEL, CentOS, or equivalent).
• Proven expertise with IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS), including design, deployment, and performance tuning.
• Proven experience with OpenShift, Kubernetes and OpenShift AI, including cluster management and container orchestration.
• Experience in using VMware environments.
• Deep understanding of system performance tuning, monitoring, and capacity planning.
• Experience implementing security hardening, patching strategies, and compliance frameworks.
• Strong scripting and automation skills (e.g., Bash, Python, Ansible, Terraform).
• Solid networking knowledge (TCP/IP, DNS, load balancing, firewalls).
• Strong understanding of disaster recovery and contingency planning.
• Experience with high‑availability architectures.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and Platform Engineering practices.
• Knowledge of enterprise monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack and Solarwinds).
• Relevant certifications (e.g., RHCE, RHCA, OpenShift, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects and influence architectural decisions.
• Strong written and verbal presentation and communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Key Competencies

• Strong problem‑solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Leadership mindset with the ability to drive initiatives and mentor teams.
• Proactive approach to continuous improvement and innovation.
• Ability to perform effectively in fast‑paced, high‑impact environments.

What ICON can offer you

Our success depends on the quality of our people. That's why we've made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well‑being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family's needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24‑hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family's well‑being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country‑specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We're dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here.