Linux Systems Engineer – Security Specialization

Deltapath Inc.; Auckland; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct mentorship from experienced Linux engineers

Exposure to real security projects

Defined growth path into security specialist role

Job summary

A leading tech firm based in Auckland is seeking a Linux Systems Engineer to engage in hands-on security work, including CVE analysis, Linux administration, and network security. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, along with real-world experience, whether professional or project-based. This position offers mentorship from experienced engineers and a clear path toward becoming a security specialist in a collaborative team environment.

Qualifications

• Navigate and administer Linux systems entirely from the command line.
• Experience with CVE analysis and verification.
• Comfortable with writing Bash scripts for automation.

Responsibilities

• Monitor CVE feeds and triage relevance to the infrastructure.
• Conduct supervised penetration tests against the infrastructure.
• Explore kernel security mechanisms and investigate system calls.

Skills

Hands-on Linux skills

Bash scripting

Understanding of security fundamentals

Basic C literacy

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Who We’re Looking For

Deltapath is hiring a Linux Systems Engineer who can demonstrate real, hands-on Linux skills — not just theory. You live in the terminal. You’ve built, broken, and rebuilt Linux systems for fun. You understand what actually happens when you run a command, not just what the man page says.

This role sits at the intersection of Linux systems administration and security research. You will spend your time doing practical security work: replicating CVEs in lab environments, exploring kernel internals, testing network access controls, and probing our infrastructure for weaknesses — all under direct mentorship from a seasoned Linux engineer.

If you’ve never compiled a kernel, written a Bash script that solved a real problem, or set up a Linux service from scratch, this role is not for you.

What You’ll Do

CVE Analysis & Verification

• Monitor CVE feeds (NVD, Ubuntu Security Notices, GitHub advisories) and triage relevance to our infrastructure and products
• Reproduce CVEs in isolated lab environments — setting up the vulnerable configuration, confirming exploitability, and verifying that patches resolve the issue
• Use AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT) to accelerate understanding of exploit mechanics, then validate findings hands-on
• Produce clear technical documentation: does this CVE affect us? What’s the evidence? What’s the fix?

Linux Kernel & Systems Research

• Explore kernel security mechanisms: AppArmor, SELinux, namespaces, capabilities, seccomp
• Investigate system calls, privilege escalation vectors, and attack surfaces in Linux internals
• Build and test kernel configurations; experiment with kernel modules and security subsystems
• Document and share findings with the engineering team

Network Security

• Learn and test PacketFence network access control and FreeIPA identity management
• Explore VLAN configurations, 802.1X authentication, and network segmentation
• Analyze firewall rules (iptables/nftables) and trace packet flow through the network stack
• Test for lateral movement paths and access control bypass techniques

Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing (Supervised)

• Conduct supervised penetration tests against Deltapath infrastructure and products
• Identify misconfigurations, privilege escalation paths, and security gaps
• Think offensively — approach systems as an attacker would, document what you find, and work with your mentor to develop remediation

Product Security (UC Appliance)

• Learn the architecture of Deltapath’s Ubuntu-based UC appliance
• Identify security risks in product dependencies, third-party libraries, and system configuration
• Contribute to security hardening improvements

What You Must Be Able to Do — Right Now

These are not “nice to haves.” If you cannot demonstrate these skills in an interview or practical assessment, you will not progress.

Linux Systems (Hands-On Required)

• Navigate and administer a Linux system entirely from the command line — no GUI
• Manage users, groups, file permissions, processes, services, and systemd units
• Write Bash scripts that do something useful: parse logs, automate a task, check system state
• Install, configure, and troubleshoot Linux services (SSH, DNS, web servers, firewalls) from scratch
• Understand how Linux networking works: interfaces, routing, iptables, DNS resolution
• Read and interpret log files to diagnose a system problem

Security Fundamentals

• Explain common vulnerability classes (privilege escalation, SUID abuse, misconfigured services) with concrete examples
• Understand cryptography fundamentals: symmetric vs. asymmetric encryption, hashing, TLS handshake
• Describe how a firewall rule is evaluated and how NAT works
• Demonstrate basic understanding of CVE structure and severity scoring (CVSS)

Programming Basics

• Comfortable with Bash scripting (write it, not just read it)
• Basic C literacy — enough to read kernel code or a simple exploit and understand what it does
• Python is a bonus; it’s used widely in security tooling

Experience & Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field, with up to 1–2 years of hands-on experience — whether professional, internship, or self-directed. Your practical skills and personal projects matter more than your degree or job title.

Preferred (Will Set You Apart)

• CTF experience:Active on Hack The Box, TryHackMe, PicoCTF, or similar — show us your profile
• GitHub activity:Personal projects, security tools, scripts, or contributions that demonstrate real work
• Kernel tinkering:Built a custom kernel, written a kernel module, explored kernel source
• Virtualization:Set up lab environments using Proxmox, KVM, VirtualBox, or similar
• Bug bounty participation:Submitted reports through HackerOne, Bugcrowd, or vendor programs
• Security certifications:CompTIA Linux+, Security+, CEH, or actively studying for one
• Security writing:Blog posts, write-ups, or documented experiments — even informal ones

What This Role Is Not

• It not a role for candidates who have only studied security concepts in lectures without applying them
• It not a SOC analyst or compliance role
• It not remote or hybrid — you will work onsite in a hands-on learning environment
• It not expected that you manage live infrastructure independently from day one

What You’ll Get

• Direct mentorship from engineers with 25+ years of Linux systems and network engineering experience — a rare and genuinely accelerated learning environment
• Exposure to real infrastructure, real vulnerabilities, and real security decisions
• A defined growth path into a security specialist role over 2–3 years
• The opportunity to build deep Linux and security expertise at a product company where your work has direct impact