Linux Administrator | Goahead Consulting | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

GoAhead Consulting Limited; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 180,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Goahead Consulting seeks a seasoned Linux Administrator for a prestigious two-year government project based in Riyadh. You will own Linux server builds, kernel tuning, and cloud deployments across VMware, Nutanix, and OCI environments.

The role requires strong documentation, security hardening, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure high availability and robust operational resilience in government data centers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/IT/Systems Engineering or related discipline.
• 4+ years of progressive hands-on enterprise Linux administration and data center operations.
• Strong Linux configurations, shell scripting, and kernel tuning experience.
• Practical VMware vSphere/ESXi and Nutanix HCI expertise.
• Experience with OCI or other cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Knowledge of high-availability clustering, DR planning, storage, and networks.
• Excellent analytical, documentation, and communication skills.
• Valid Transferable IQAMA and ability to work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Responsibilities

• Architect, configure, deploy, and maintain Red Hat Linux/Unix servers.
• Administer VMware vSphere/ESXi and vCenter with VM lifecycle management.
• Deploy Nutanix HCI clusters, storage pools, and hypervisors.
• Provision OCI services, compute, networking, and storage components.
• Diagnose OS panics, kernel bottlenecks, and storage anomalies.
• Perform security hardening, patching, ACL reviews, and remediation.
• Collaborate with government IT teams, PMs, and external vendors.
• Maintain infrastructure docs, topologies, backups, and incident records.

Skills

Linux administration

VMware vSphere

Nutanix AHV/EE

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

Shell scripting

Kernel tuning

Security hardening

Troubleshooting

Technical documentation

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Information Technology/Systems Engineering

Tools

VMware vSphere/ESXi

Nutanix AHV/EE

OCI (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure)

Kubernetes

Docker

Ansible

Terraform

Job description

Position Summary

Driving advanced Linux systems administration, enterprise virtualization, and cloud infrastructure support in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Goahead Consulting is actively seeking an accomplished Linux Administrator for a prestigious 2-year government project engagement. In this vital infrastructure role, you will architect, configure, optimize, and maintain Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments, VMware virtualization clusters, Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) platforms. Bringing robust professional experience in enterprise Linux administration and multi-vendor cloud deployments, you will empower mission-critical government operations to achieve uncompromised system stability, high availability, and robust security compliance. This prestigious career opportunity offers competitive remuneration, high professional visibility, and exceptional professional growth within a premier international IT staffing and digital consulting enterprise.

Detailed Job Description

As a Linux Administrator supporting Goahead Consulting on a 2-year government project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, you will take full operational, tactical, and technical ownership of Linux server builds, kernel optimization, VMware vSphere virtualization, Nutanix AHV/EE environments, and OCI cloud resource management. Your day-to-day responsibilities include provisioning virtual machines, configuring high-availability clusters, monitoring system telemetry, executing security hardening, and troubleshooting complex infrastructure bottlenecks. Candidates must possess a valid Transferable IQAMA.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, configure, deploy, and maintain robust Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Unix server environments across government project data centers.
• Administer enterprise virtualization platforms utilizing VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, and virtual machine lifecycle management.
• Deploy and manage Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) clusters, storage pools, and hypervisors.
• Provision, configure, and manage Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services, compute instances, networking, and storage components.
• Investigate, diagnose, and resolve complex operating system panics, kernel performance bottlenecks, and storage anomalies promptly.
• Execute rigorous security hardening, patch management, access control list (ACL) reviews, and vulnerability remediations.
• Collaborate seamlessly with cross-functional government IT squads, project managers, and external technology vendors.
• Maintain meticulous infrastructure documentation, system architecture topologies, configuration backups, and incident tracking records.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Systems Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 4+ years of progressive professional hands-on experience in enterprise Linux administration and data center operations.
• Strong, demonstrable operational expertise working extensively with Linux OS configurations, shell scripting, and kernel tuning.
• Comprehensive working knowledge and practical proficiency in VMware virtualization (vSphere/ESXi) and Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure.
• Deep practical experience administering Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) or alternative enterprise cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Solid practical grasp of high-availability clustering, disaster recovery planning, storage management, and network protocols.
• Exceptional analytical problem-solving aptitude, technical documentation skills, and professional communication capabilities.
• Mandatory possession of a valid Transferable IQAMA and physical availability for professional operations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Professional technical certifications such as Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), or Nutanix Certified Professional (NCP).
• Prior professional working experience in top-tier government IT projects, enterprise consultancy firms, or telecommunications carriers.
• Hands-on familiarity with infrastructure automation and configuration management tools (Ansible, Terraform, Puppet).
• Experience utilizing enterprise IT service management (ITSM) ticketing platforms and monitoring solutions (Nagios, Zabbix, Prometheus).
• Exposure to container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, Docker) and CI/CD deployment pipelines.

Application Information

• Company Website: https://www.goaheadconsulting.co.uk
• Salary/Rate: Market Competitive / 2-Year Government Project Package
• Deadline: Open until filled (Urgent Riyadh Government Project Opening)
• Notice Period: Immediate to 30 Days Preferred
• Contract Duration: 2-Year Government Project Engagement (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

Recruitment Pro Tip

When applying for this Linux Administrator position through Goahead Consulting, ensure your email application explicitly details your exact years of experience and number of completed projects across Linux, VMware, OCI, and Nutanix, alongside confirmation of your Transferable IQAMA.