Linux Kernel Virtualization Senior Lead Engineer

Qualcomm; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm India Private Limited is seeking a Senior Engineer to lead design, development and upstreaming of Linux kernel features for Arm-based compute SoCs. You will affect kernel architecture, enable new hardware features, and ensure compliance with industry standards.

You will collaborate with hardware, firmware and platform teams to drive upstream contributions and kernel bring-up on new silicon and virtual platforms, while mentoring engineers and contributing to architectural decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in Linux kernel development, with focus on Arm.
• Deep understanding of memory management, scheduler, drivers, power management, virtualization and interrupt handling.
• Familiarity with SoC boot flow: Uefi, ABL, remoteproc, FF-A, TEEs and secure boot.
• Experience with platform enablement and compliance validation.
• Strong debugging skills using ftrace, perf, kgdb, crash and kernel logs.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop Linux kernel features for Armv8/v9 compute SoCs.
• Drive upstream contributions to the mainline Linux kernel, ensuring long-term maintainability.
• Collaborate with hardware, firmware, and platform teams to enable new SoC features (RAS, SMMU, GIC, ACPI).
• Develop and maintain kernel drivers, subsystems, and BSPs.
• Lead kernel bring-up on new silicon and virtual platforms.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to reviews and architectural decisions.
• Represent Qualcomm in open-source communities and industry groups.

Skills

Linux kernel development

Arm architecture

Virtualization (KVM)

C

C++

Python

Kernel debugging tools

Open-source upstreaming

Education

Bachelor or Master in CS/EE or related

PhD considered for seniority

Tools

ftrace

perf

kgdb

crash

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Company

Qualcomm India Private Limited

Job Area

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior Engineer to lead the design, development, and upstreaming of Linux kernel features for our next-generation Arm‑based SoCs. This role is ideal for a hands‑on technical leader who thrives at the intersection of hardware and software, and is passionate about building robust, scalable, and high‑performance Linux platforms for compute infrastructure, data center. You will play a critical role in defining kernel architecture, enabling new hardware features, and ensuring compliance with industry standards such as Arm SystemReady etc.

Key Responsibilities

• Will be part of architecture and development of Linux kernel features for Armv8/v9-based compute SoCs.
• Drive upstream contributions to the mainline Linux kernel, ensuring long-term maintainability and community alignment.
• Collaborate with hardware, firmware, and platform teams to enable new SoC features (e.g., RAS, SMMU, GIC, ACPI).Must have experience with Virtualization with KVM or any other hypervisor.
• Develop and maintain kernel drivers, subsystems, and board support packages (BSPs).
• Lead kernel bring-up on new silicon and virtual platforms
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical reviews, design documentation, and architectural decisions
• Represent the company in open-source communities and industry working groups

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in Linux kernel development, Virtualization with a strong focus on Arm architecture.
• Deep understanding of kernel subsystems such as memory management, scheduler, device drivers, power management, Virtualization and interrupt handling.
• Familiarity with SoC boot flow: Uefi, ABL, remoteproc, FF-A, Trusted execution environments and secure boot.
• Experience with platform enablement and compliance validation
• Strong debugging skills using tools like ftrace, perf, kgdb, crash, and kernel logs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience. OR Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience. OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 1+ year of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• 2+ years of academic or work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.
• Experience with virtualization (KVM, Xen) and container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Contributions to open-source projects or maintainership of kernel subsystems
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience OR Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
• 2+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as Rust, Python, etc.

Applicants

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