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Kernel Jobs in Oregon (NOW HIRING)

OR

$210K - $305K/yr

Leveraging the power ofeBPF, Tetragon provides low-overhead, in-kernel visibility and intelligence across diverseenvironments. Asa Technical Leader, you will be at the forefront of advancing Tetragon ...

OR · On-site

$122K - $161K/yr

You will be a crucial member of a highly technical group exploring uncharted territories in model optimization, custom kernel development, and cluster-scale AI systems design. If you are passionate ...

OR

$210K - $305K/yr

Leveraging the power ofeBPF, Tetragon provides low-overhead, in-kernel visibility and intelligence across diverseenvironments. Asa Technical Leader, you will be at the forefront of advancing Tetragon ...

OR · On-site

$113K - $156K/yr

Linux kernel development and architecture * Embedded systems design and development * System software architecture and design * Compiler toolchains and build systems * Device drivers and hardware ...

Company Description First IT Solutions Atleast 7-8 years of C/C++ development experience in embedded Linux environment low level kernel OS subsystems Multi-threaded environment such as Linux* and ...

Extensive experience with AOSP (Android Open Source Project) or another embedded Linux OS * 5+ years of experience in Linux kernel driver development * 5+ years of experience using Java Preferred ...

OR · On-site

$85K - $116K/yr

Comprehensive knowledge of shell and kernel-level programming and system-specific requirements. ESSENTIAL SKILLS & ABILITIES Shell Programming Kernel-level programming Microsoft Windows Analytical ...

OR · On-site

$122K - $161K/yr

Experience with GPU kernel generation targeting high performance and fast build times. * Proficiency in GPU architecture with CUDA or OpenCL programming experience. * A track record of mentoring ...

OR · On-site

$122K - $161K/yr

Toaccomplishthis, the CUDA driver interacts with GPU hardware, kernel mode drivers, user mode drivers, and the operating system. Whatyou'llbe doing: As a member of our team, you will use your design ...

OR · On-site

$104K - $143K/yr

Designing and implementing compiler technology using MLIR to optimize high-level kernel descriptions (written in Triton's Python DSL), with a focus on generating efficient, low-level GPU code. When ...

Trimble is seeking an expert to join our Mobile Computing Solutions team, where you will take ownership of the full Android platform lifecycle-from kernel to framework-on our next-generation GMS ...

LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, Guardrails AI, or Microsoft Promptflow. • Solid security fundamentals: OAuth 2.0, secret management, least-privilege API access. • Experience with Azure ...

LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, MCP protocol, Azure AI Foundry, RAG pipelines, prompt engineering * Cloud/data: Azure (ACI, ACR, AKS), Databricks, Kafka, Unity Catalog, REST/OpenAPI * Dev tooling: VSCode ...

OR · On-site

Provide strategic technical guidance across all major components, including kernel, system services, hardware enablement, enterprise integration, and cloud components. Lead architectural decisions ...

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Showing results 1-20

Kernel information

See Oregon salary details

$91.8K

$155.1K

$228.9K

How much do kernel jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for kernel in Oregon is $155,060.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $129,663.00 and $169,060.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a Kernel Engineer?

Kernel Engineers typically spend their days designing, implementing, and maintaining low-level components of an operating system’s kernel, such as device drivers, process schedulers, or memory management subsystems. They often review and refactor code, troubleshoot and resolve bugs, and collaborate closely with hardware engineers, application developers, and QA teams. Participation in code reviews and contributing to open source communities or internal repositories are also common activities. This role requires staying up to date with the latest kernel developments and ensuring code changes are performant and stable, directly impacting the reliability and efficiency of the broader system.

What is a Kernel job?

A Kernel job typically refers to a role focused on developing, maintaining, or optimizing an operating system's kernel—the core component that manages system resources, hardware interaction, and process scheduling. Kernel developers work with low-level programming languages like C and Assembly to improve system performance, security, and stability. These roles often involve debugging kernel crashes, implementing new features, and collaborating with hardware and software teams to ensure seamless integration.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Kernel position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Kernel Engineer, you need strong expertise in operating system fundamentals, C/C++ programming, and kernel module development, often supported by a degree in computer science or equivalent experience. Familiarity with Linux kernel source code, debugging tools like GDB, and version control systems such as Git is essential. Analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and effective communication distinguish outstanding professionals in this field. These skills are crucial for maintaining system stability, ensuring high performance, and collaborating on complex, low-level software projects.

Infographic showing various Kernel job openings in Oregon as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 3% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 85% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $155,060 per year, or $74.5 per hour.
Technical Leader, Performance Engineering - Tetragon

Technical Leader, Performance Engineering - Tetragon

Cisco

OR

$210K - $305K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 11 days ago


Cisco Systems rating

8.0

Company rating: 8.0 out of 10

Based on 40 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

47th of 139 rated electronics manufacturers


Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 06/23/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Meet the Team

Isovalent, now part of Cisco, is the company founded by the creators of Cilium andeBPF. CiscoIsovalentbuilds open-source software and enterprise solutions solving networking, security, and observability needs for modern cloud native infrastructure. The flagship technologies, Cilium and Tetragon, are the choice ofnumerous, industry-leading,global organizations.

We believe in fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where every team member feels valued, respected, and empowered. We believe that every employee contributes to our success, and we are committed to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply and join us in our mission to deliver exceptional products and services.

Your Impact

Tetragon is a flexible, Kubernetes-aware observability and security tool that delivers real-time insights and enforcement. Leveraging the power ofeBPF, Tetragon provides low-overhead, in-kernel visibility and intelligence across diverseenvironments.

Asa Technical Leader, you will be at the forefront of advancing Tetragon's capabilities. You will guide architectural direction while staying deeply engaged in building the systems that power our platform. Your impactwillallowTetragonto be usedon resource constraint platforms as well as scaleits capabilities tomeet the increasing demands ofsecurity protection across a variety of platforms.

You will collaborate closely with teams across Ciscotounderstand different use-cases andoptimizeTetragon to meetdifferentrequirements.In this role,you'llsolve some of the most complex system-level challenges in observability and infrastructure, helping Tetragon evolve to meet the needs of the modern runtime security landscape.

Whatyou'lldo:

  • Develop high-quality Go (andeBPF) code for the Tetragon project.

  • Understand and analyze Tetragon'sperformance and overheads

  • Designand implementnovel waysto minimizeTetragon'sCPU overhead and memory footprint

  • Partner across teams to align requirements, define integration points, and deliver production-ready solutions.

  • Contribute to open-source projects and represent CiscoIsovalentin community discussions.

  • Participate in architecture reviews, code reviews, and documentation.

Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience

  • 8+ years of experience in systems programming (C,Go,or similar; Tetragon is primarily written in Go).

  • Experience in any of these areas: Linux systems, Kernel-leveldevelopment oreBPFprogramming for observability or security use cases, or experience in buildingscalableGo systems.

  • Experience inperformance analysis andoptimization.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in analyzing and improving the performance and memory consumption ofeBPFand Go programs.

  • Experience in debugging and optimization witha track recordof delivering scalable systems.

  • Knowledge ofeBPFfor observability or security use cases.

  • Solid background in Linux systems and kernel-level concepts.

  • Familiarity with Kubernetes and cloud-native environments.

  • Exposure toreal-time streaming/aggregation systems and database performance optimization.

  • Contributions to open-source projects in networking, observability, or distributed systems.

  • Experience working across diverse, distributed teams.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era - and beyond. We've been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you'll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:The starting salary range posted for this position is $210,600.00 to $305,100.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco's plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco's policies:

  • 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees

  • 1 paid day off for employee's birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco

  • Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees

  • Exempt employees participate in Cisco's flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)

  • 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto the next

  • Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members

  • Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco's policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

  • .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

  • 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

  • 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and

  • Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$210,600.00 - $350,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$189,300.00 - $312,200.00

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco's sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.


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About Cisco Systems

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Cisco Systems, a global tech titan based in San Jose, CA, US, operates in the information technology and services industry. Founded in 1984, the company was derived from a project between two computer scientists from Stanford University. They aimed to connect different networks of computer systems at the university, resulting in the first multi-protocol router, and subsequently, the birth of Cisco. As an industry-leading manufacturer of networking hardware and telecommunications equipment, Cisco's product and services range includes routers, switches, firewall devices, and telecommunication technology. The company's mission, "to shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosystem partners," is a testament to its pursuit of technology-forward innovation and customer satisfaction.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

San Jose, CA, US

Year founded

1984

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