Principal Engineer - Linux System (Perm)

GMP Group; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology and services provider in Singapore is looking for a Principal Engineer specializing in Linux Systems. You will be responsible for system architecture and technical strategy across large-scale deployments. The role requires extensive experience in Linux administration, networking, and virtualization, with leadership skills to mentor teams and drive project excellence. A minimum of 10 years of experience in systems engineering and strong stakeholder management abilities are essential. This position offers an opportunity to engage in critical hands-on projects.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in systems engineering.
• At least 3 years in an architecture or principal engineering capacity.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead solution architecture and design for multi-site systems.
• Develop and validate designs before deployment.
• Serve as the highest-level escalation point for critical incidents.

Skills

Linux Administration

Networking and Security

Virtualization and Cloud

Data and Observability

Automation and Scripting

Containerization

Implementation Support

Tools

Bash

Python

Ansible

Terraform

Docker

Kubernetes

MySQL

MariaDB

PostgreSQL

Job description

Principal Engineer - Linux System (Perm)

The Principal Engineer serves as the senior technical authority within the Service Delivery organization. This hands‑on leadership role is responsible for end‑to‑end system architecture, technical design, and execution across complex, large‑scale deployments. You will define technical strategy, ensure delivery excellence, mentor engineers, and act as the top‑level escalation point for critical incidents. Working closely with the PMO and cross‑functional teams, you will safeguard delivery integrity, enforce technical standards, and ensure all projects meet performance, security, and compliance requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Lead solution architecture and design for multi‑site, geo‑redundant systems. Develop High‑Level and Low‑Level Designs (HLD/LLD) and validate Detailed‑Level Designs (DLD) before deployment.

Define reference architectures and golden images; champion automation‑first strategies for provisioning, configuration, patching, and system upgrades.

Own technical delivery plans, risk identification, and mitigation strategies across staging and production environments. Ensure proper validation through documented unit, integration, and UAT testing.

Partner with engineering and PMO teams to maintain governance frameworks, manage change control, and align key stakeholders at every project milestone.

Serve as the highest‑level (Tier‑3/4) escalation point for critical incidents (Sev‑1/Sev‑2). Lead incident resolution, conduct root‑cause investigations, and drive implementation of permanent corrective measures.

Act as the technical lead during pre‑sales and delivery phases clarifying requirements, validating assumptions, and translating business needs into technical designs in collaboration with Sales, Service Excellence, Product, and PMO teams.

Lead technical workshops, architecture reviews, and formal handovers. Represent engineering leadership in change advisory boards and go/no‑go decision meetings.

Ensure HLDs, LLDs, runbooks, disaster recovery procedures, and security hardening guides are up to date, version‑controlled, and consistently applied across delivery teams.

Mentor System Engineers and Senior Engineers, review technical designs and scripts, set quality benchmarks, and guide professional growth and cross‑training efforts.

Drive close collaboration with Sales, Service Excellence, Product, and Customer teams to deliver cohesive and high‑quality solutions.

Technical Skills and Experience

Linux Administration: Advanced expertise in RHEL, CentOS, and Ubuntu, including system hardening, high‑availability clustering, and performance optimization.

Networking and Security: Strong understanding of switching, routing, firewalls, VLANs, and core protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, NTP, LDAP, SMTP); capable of making architecture‑level security and design decisions.

Virtualization and Cloud: Skilled in KVM, VMware, and Hyper‑V platforms; proficient in designing hybrid architectures across AWS, Azure, and GCP with cost and performance optimization.

Data and Observability: Hands‑on experience with MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL; familiarity with centralized logging, metrics, and alerting tools such as syslog-ng and Elastic Stack.

Automation and Scripting: Proficient in Bash and Linux shell scripting; working knowledge of Python, Ansible, and Terraform for infrastructure automation and CI/CD implementation.

Containerization: Experience with Docker, Docker Swarm, and Kubernetes for building, deploying, and managing scalable containerized applications.

Implementation Support: Willing to engage directly in hands‑on configurations and deployments for critical or high‑priority projects.

Requirements

Minimum 10 years of experience in systems engineering, including at least 3 years in an architecture or principal engineering capacity managing complex deployments.

Preferred certifications include RHCE, AWS/Azure Solutions Architect, Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD), and network/security credentials such as CCNP.

Willingness to travel for onsite deployments, implementations, and cutover activities when necessary.

Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and drive outcomes across technical and business teams.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.