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Freelance Linux Kernel Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Waymo

Senior Software Engineer, Linux Kernel

Mountain View, CA · On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

Work on a small team of System Software and Linux Kernel Engineers to develop system software components from early prototyping to production launch of driverless vehicles * Develop and test Linux ...

Nvidia

Senior Linux Kernel Software Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$143K - $189K/yr

We are looking for a Senior Linux Kernel Software Engineer to join the Linux networking drivers R&D team. The work environment is versatile, informative, dynamic and challenging as our employees are ...

Qualcomm

Staff Engineer, Linux Device Drivers

Boulder, CO · On-site

$134K - $202K/yr

The engineer will develop and extend Linux kernel driver code related to PCIe device setup, firmware loading, MHI bus, DMABUF importation, and DMA transfers. Familiarity with SoC systems including ...

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How much do freelance linux kernel engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for freelance linux kernel engineer in the United States is $114,500.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $104,000.00 and $125,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.
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Freelance Linux Kernel Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Freelance Linux Kernel Engineer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, 2% Part Time, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 87% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,500 per year, or $55 per hour.
Senior Software Engineer, Linux Kernel

Senior Software Engineer, Linux Kernel

Waymo

Mountain View, CA • On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

Other

Posted 23 days ago

Job description

Waymo Onboard Infrastructure is responsible for low-level software and infrastructure on various components of the Waymo self-driving system. The team's scope covers everything from low-level system software to high-bandwidth data logging, IPC (low-latency and high-throughput), performance analysis, and full-system debugging. We work with the Hardware, Compute, Sensor, Perception, Behavior and Machine Learning teams to build the most performant and low-latency self-driving solution in the industry.

In this role, you will work on the System Software Team. The System Software team owns the primary compute node of Waymo's on-vehicle compute platform - an integrated embedded system. You will write Linux Kernel drivers (including creating appropriate user-space APIs) to communicate with custom hardware (e.g. custom ASICs and FPGAs). If you enjoy building embedded systems using novel compute hardware and working with engineering teams that will be direct consumers of your work, you'll be a great fit for this role.

In this hybrid role, you will report to the Technical Lead Manager.

You will:

  • Work on a small team of System Software and Linux Kernel Engineers to develop system software components from early prototyping to production launch of driverless vehicles
  • Develop and test Linux Kernel device drivers and other components for high-performance embedded systems including custom ASICs and accelerators.
  • Work with a variety of engineering teams and SoC partners to take on ambiguous problems.

You have:

  • BA/BS degree in Computer Science, or relevant technical field or equivalent practical experience
  • Proficiency in C and C++
  • 5+ years of programming experience in an asynchronous environment with multiple processes, threads, timers, and interrupts
  • Experience with Linux kernel and device driver development
  • Working knowledge of hardware bring-up and debugging, including the ability to read schematics/datasheets and use common tools (oscilloscopes, multimeter, logic analyzers)

We prefer:

  • Experience with early-silicon development tools, e.g. emulators, simulators and FPGAs
  • Experience with common hardware protocols/interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet, or I2C)
  • Experience working with multiple types of industry partners (CM, ODM, OEM, or ISV)
  • Working knowledge of complex hardware-accelerated compute pipelines (GPUs, ML accelerators, image/data processors)
  • Experience with bootloaders or programming in a BIOS
  • Experience with building and maintaining testing infrastructure for OS and other low level code.
  • Experience with performing safe and robust software and firmware updates.

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