Senior Systems Engineer / Linux Plumber (OS Tooling & Distro Customization)

QUALCOMM, Inc.; Piemonte; On-site; EUR 67,000 - 101,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualcomm Europe, Inc. Italy Branch Office is seeking a Linux Plumber to join a world‑class engineering team.

You will bridge the gap between the kernel and user space, building robust OS tooling, optimizing the user‑space/kernel boundary, and driving our custom distribution engineering. With a strict mainline‑first philosophy, you will push changes upstream and collaborate closely with Qualcomm's open‑source engineers to ensure our distribution integrates with upstream developments and supports

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in CS/Engineering or related field.
• Strong knowledge of Linux internals and OS architecture.
• Experience with Debian packaging and upstream open‑source workflows.

Responsibilities

• Distro Customization & Release Engineering: own architecture, build, and maintain custom Linux distribution.
• Upstream-First Development: design system components for mainline acceptance.
• Debian Ecosystem Management: maintain package ecosystem, ensure stability and reproducibility.
• OS-Level Tooling: create tools/daemons in C, Go, or Rust for hardware/kernel interfaces.
• Boot & Init Optimization: optimize boot pipeline for speed and security.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: align OS plumbing with silicon capabilities.

Skills

Linux internals

Containerization

Systems programming

Upstream mindset

User-kernel boundary

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master's degree in CS/Engineering

PhD in CS/Engineering

Tools

Debian packaging tools

dpkg/apt tooling

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Company:

Qualcomm Europe, Inc. Italy Branch Office

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering

General Summary:

We are looking for a Linux Plumber to join our team of world‑class engineers. While our kernel team focuses on upstream development and subsystem internals, your mission will be to bridge the gap between the kernel and user space. You will be the architect and mechanic of our custom operating system environment, responsible for building robust OS‑level tooling, optimizing the user‑space/kernel‑space boundary, and driving our custom distribution engineering.

In this role, we strictly adhere to a "mainline first" philosophy, ensuring our work is pushed upstream rather than maintaining fragmented forks. You will work in exceptionally close collaboration with an elite team of Qualcomm open‑source engineers, co‑developing cutting‑edge platforms and ensuring our custom Linux distribution seamlessly integrates with upstream developments.

Key Responsibilities

• Distro Customization & Release Engineering: Own the architecture, assembly, and maintenance of our custom Linux distribution (including rootfs, package management pipelines, and image generation).
• Upstream-First Development: Design and build system-level components with an upstream-first mindset, ensuring code is destined for mainline project acceptance.
• Debian Ecosystem Management: Maintain, build, and optimize our package ecosystem, leveraging deep Debian packaging mechanics to ensure rock‑solid stability and reproducibility.
• OS‑Level Tooling: Design and build reliable system-level tools, utilities, and daemons in C, Go, or Rust to interface with custom hardware and kernel features.
• Boot & Init Optimization: Optimize the early boot pipeline (bootloaders, initramfs, systemd/init systems) for speed, security, and deterministic behavior.
• Cross‑Team Collaboration: Act as the technical bridge between our internal teams and Qualcomm’s upstream engineering stars to align OS plumbing with next‑gen silicon capabilities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
• Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.
• PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering or related work experience.

Technical Qualifications

Must-Haves (The "Plumbing" Core)

• Deep Linux Internals: Strong understanding of Linux OS architecture (process lifecycle, memory management, VFS, networking stack).
• Containerization & Sandboxing: Proficiency in using containerization and isolation technologies (e.g., Docker, LXC, Podman) to architect reproducible CI/CD build pipelines and enforce granular, secure, on‑device application access control.
• Systems Programming: Proficiency in C and at least one modern systems/automation language (Go, Rust, or advanced Python/Bash).
• Upstream Philosophy: Experience contributing to or navigating open‑source mailing lists, maintaining a strict adherence to mainline‑first development.
• User‑Kernel Boundary: Hands‑on experience working with systemd, udev, D‑Bus, network configuration, and standard Linux CLI plumbing.

Nice-to-Haves (Big Pluses)

• Debian Expert: Strong expertise in Debian packaging (dpkg, apt, debootstrap), maintaining custom repositories, and managing complex dependency trees.
• Familiarity with Linux security primitives (Namespaces, Cgroups, SELinux/AppArmor, dm‑verity).

Cultural & Team Fit

• The "Glue" Mentality: You enjoy collaborating closely with pure kernel engineers on one side and application/cloud engineers on the other.
• Open‑Source Citizen: You thrive in the public eye of open‑source development and are comfortable collaborating with external industry leaders.
• Pragmatic Problem Solver: You care about building stable, maintainable, production‑ready systems over theoretical perfection.

Why Join This Team?

You will work alongside world‑class kernel experts and rub shoulders daily with some of the top open‑source minds at Qualcomm. You won't be siloed into a single subsystem; instead, you will have a massive impact on the overall performance, reliability, and developer experience of our entire OS platform. We heavily support open‑source contributions, encourage participating in the broader Linux plumbing community, and strictly back a mainline‑first engineering culture.

References to a particular number of years experience are for indicative purposes only. Applications from candidates with equivalent experience will be considered, provided that the candidate can demonstrate an ability to fulfill the principal duties of the role and possesses the required competencies.

Equal Opportunity

Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e‑mail disability‑[e-mail] or call Qualcomm's toll‑free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).

Policy Statement

Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.

Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits

€67,200.00 - €100,800.00 annual (Gross)

The above pay range reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay range for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. This range includes two additional months of pay as part of the annual salary. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales‑incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play.