Remote Kernel Patch Engineer (Linux Security & Backporting)

TuxCare Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote

Flexible working hours

Paid vacation 24 days per year

10 national holidays

Unlimited sick leaves

Private medical insurance

Co-working and gym reimbursement

Education budget

Patent incentive program

Job summary

TuxCare Inc. is seeking a Kernel Developer to join the KernelCare ELS Team. You will backport Linux kernel patches, build packages, and validate patches in reproducible environments.

You will investigate upstream changes and ensure patches are safe and well-documented while using automation tools to accelerate work. This fully remote role requires strong C and Linux skills, experience with kernel development, and proficiency with Git and build utilities.

Qualifications

• Strong C programming and Linux debugging skills.
• Practical Linux kernel development, patching, or backporting experience.
• Confident use of Git, GNU build tools, and standard Linux development utilities.
• Experience building Linux kernels or distribution packages.
• Automation experience with Python, Go, Shell, or a similar language.
• Some experience with agentic or AI-assisted development and validating generated output.
• English at an intermediate level or higher, both written and spoken.
• Strong ownership, careful technical judgment, and readiness to explain trade-offs.

Responsibilities

• Investigating upstream security and bug fixes and identifying their dependencies.
• Backporting Linux kernel patches to older RPM- and Debian-based distributions.
• Resolving conflicts caused by differences between upstream and target kernel versions.
• Building and rebuilding kernel source and binary packages in reproducible environments.
• Validating patched kernels through focused tests, build checks, and regression analysis.
• Improving patch preparation, build, and validation workflows with Python, Go, or Shell.
• Using agentic development tools.
• Documenting technical decisions and participating in code review with the kernel team.

Skills

C programming

Linux debugging

Git

GNU build tools

Kernel patching

Backporting

Automation

AI-assisted dev

English proficiency

Ownership & judgment

Tools

Docker

QEMU

Jenkins

Job description

TuxCare Inc. is seeking a Kernel Developer to join the KernelCare ELS Team. You will backport Linux kernel patches, build packages, and validate patches in reproducible environments.

You will investigate upstream changes and ensure patches are safe and well-documented while using automation tools to accelerate work. This fully remote role requires strong C and Linux skills, experience with kernel development, and proficiency with Git and build utilities.