Linux Kernel Developer

International Business Machines Corporation; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Power Systems Linux Kernel Developer role focuses on designing and optimizing core kernel components such as memory management, CPU scheduling, RAS, I/O, KVM, and bootloader.

You will contribute to enterprise Linux features, collaborate with the open-source community to upstream changes, and optimize performance for key workloads on Power systems. Strong kernel debugging and tracing expertise will be leveraged daily.

Qualifications

• 6–12 years of experience in Linux internals and kernel development.
• Hands-on Linux kernel subsystems such as Memory Management, Filesystems, Virtualization (KVM), Device Drivers, Networking.
• Strong programming in C/C++ and Python with shell scripting.
• Experience contributing to upstream Linux kernel communities.
• Proficient in kernel tracing and debugging tools: GDB, crash, ftrace, perf, eBPF, SystemTap, kgdb.
• Ability to drive technical discussions across teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop state of the art features for Enterprise Linux.
• Work closely with opensource community to upstream features.
• Work towards IBM Power systems objectives and performance goals.
• Interact with teams across the stack to ensure holistic goals are met.

Skills

Linux internals

Kernel programming

Kernel debugging

Performance analysis

Root cause analysis

C

C++

Python

Shell scripting

GDB

Crash

ftrace

perf

eBPF

SystemTap

kgdb

Upstream Linux

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Your Role and Responsibilities:

As a Linux Kernel Developer you will be responsible for the development and optimization of various components in the core kernel and related areas such as Memory management, CPU scheduler, RAS, I/O, KVM and bootloader.

You will apply your expertise in the development of Enterprise Linux features to ensure out of box performance is obtained for key workloads on IBM Power systems. In the process, you will also interact and actively participate in the Linux kernel community discussions for feature design and development.

Responsibilities include :

• Design and development of state of the art features for Enterprise Linux.
• Working closely with Opensource community to upstream features developed.
• Work towards the goal to ensure IBM Power systems objectives are optimally achieved.
• Interact with teams above and below the stack to ensure goals are met holistically.

Required Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Required Technical and Professional Expertise:

• 6 to 12 years 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

Years of Experience:6 - 12