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Operating System Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

AtlantiCare

Operating System Engineer II

NJ · On-site

POSITION SUMMARY We are seeking a skilled and motivated Operating System Engineer II to join our dynamic technology team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in operating systems ...

NABORS

Operating System Engineer RigCLOUD

Houston, TX

$66K - $89K/yr

The RigCLOUD Operating System Engineer is responsible for implementing, auditing, and continuously improving the RigCLOUD Operating System across field and office operations. This role ensures ...

Brahma Consulting Group

System Engineer

Charlotte, NC

$55 - $58/hr

Title: System Admin/Engineer Location: Charlotte, NC (Onsite) Duration: 12 Months Responsible for ... Responsible for the operating system and associated subsystems including system and application ...

Synergy ECP

System Engineer

Columbia, MD · On-site

Configures and manages UNIX and Windows operating systems and installs/loads operating system ... Bachelor's degree in System Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science ...

Infotech Spectrum

System Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

Experience of VxWorks or other real-time operating systems Programming experience in C/C++ required; C# is highly desirable Experience with National Instruments Labview, Matlab and other simulation ...

Synergy ECP

System Engineer

Columbia, MD · On-site

Configures and manages UNIX and Windows operating systems and installs/loads operating system ... Bachelor's degree in System Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science ...

Baptistfirst

The System Engineer shall be responsible to design, implement, and manage complex IT infrastructure systems, including servers, operating systems, and data storage systems, ensuring they are scalable ...

Accelint

System Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

We build the technologies that help operators and organizations see what's happening, make faster ... We are seeking a Systems Engineer to support systems and system-of-systems engineering efforts ...

Samsung

System Engineer

Austin, TX

As a Sr. Systems Engineer on the HPC Grid Systems infrastructure team, you will be working on ... Deep expertise with Linux operating systems including operations in a large scale production ...

Collabera

System Engineer

Rockville, MD

... operating systems through regular maintenance- Maintain configuration and support documentation ... science, computer engineering or related field required- 5-7 years experience required- Broad ...

Samsung

System Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

As a Sr. Systems Engineer on the HPC Grid Systems infrastructure team, you will be working on ... Linux operating system commands and utilities, • Linux storage administration experience ...

Infotech Spectrum

System Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

... operating systems • Programming experience in C/C++ required; C# is highly desirable • Experience with National Instruments Labview, Matlab and other simulation tools desirable • Ability to ...

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Operating System Engineer information

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$53.5K

$127.2K

$167K

How much do operating system engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for operating system engineer in the United States is $127,215.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $98,000.00 and $157,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by Operating System Engineers when maintaining system stability in large-scale environments?

Operating System Engineers often encounter challenges such as managing software patching across diverse hardware, ensuring compatibility with legacy applications, and minimizing downtime during critical updates. In large-scale environments, balancing security with performance and reliability can be complex, especially when multiple teams depend on the systems. Effective communication with development, security, and IT operations teams is essential to address these issues proactively and maintain overall system stability.

What engineers make $500,000?

Senior engineers in specialized fields such as software engineering, data engineering, or cybersecurity can earn $500,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and in high-demand industries. These roles often require advanced certifications, leadership responsibilities, or working in competitive markets with high compensation packages.

What does an Operating System Engineer do?

An Operating System Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, maintaining, and optimizing operating systems that run on computers and servers. They work on the core components that manage hardware resources, enable software applications, and ensure system security and stability. Their duties often include writing system-level code, troubleshooting performance issues, implementing updates, and collaborating with hardware and software teams. Operating System Engineers play a critical role in ensuring that computing environments are efficient, reliable, and secure.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior operating system engineers, especially those with extensive experience, specialized skills, and certifications, can earn $300,000 or more annually. High compensation is often associated with roles in large tech companies, leadership positions, or engineers working on complex systems with advanced knowledge of hardware, virtualization, or security. Salary levels depend on location, company size, and individual expertise.

What is the difference between Operating System Engineer vs System Administrator?

AspectOperating System EngineerSystem Administrator
Primary FocusDesigning, developing, and optimizing operating systemsMaintaining, configuring, and supporting existing systems
Skills & CertificationsLinux/Unix, scripting, OS architecture, certifications like RHCE or Linux FoundationSystem management, network setup, troubleshooting, certifications like CompTIA Server+ or Microsoft Certified
Work EnvironmentDevelopment teams, R&D, engineering projectsIT support, data centers, enterprise environments
Industry UsageTech companies, hardware firms, software developmentCorporate IT, government agencies, healthcare, finance

While both roles involve working with operating systems, Operating System Engineers focus on designing and developing OS solutions, whereas System Administrators manage and support existing systems. The roles complement each other but serve different stages of the system lifecycle.

What does an OS engineer do?

An Operating System (OS) Engineer designs, develops, and maintains operating system software, ensuring efficient hardware and software integration. They troubleshoot system issues, optimize performance, and may work with tools like kernel development, scripting, and debugging. Strong knowledge of computer architecture, programming languages, and system security is essential for this role.

How hard is coding an OS?

Operating System Engineers typically find coding an OS to be highly complex due to the need for low-level programming, understanding hardware interactions, and managing system resources. It requires strong knowledge of programming languages like C or C++, familiarity with system architecture, and often involves debugging and testing in specialized environments. The work demands significant technical skill and experience, often gained through advanced education and hands-on practice.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Operating System Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Operating System Engineer, you need a deep understanding of computer science principles, operating system internals, and strong programming skills in languages like C, C++, or Rust, often backed by a relevant degree. Familiarity with kernel development, debugging tools, virtualization platforms, and experience with version control systems (such as Git) are typically required. Problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication are soft skills that set top performers apart. These skills ensure the reliability, performance, and security of operating systems, which are foundational to all computing environments.
More about Operating System Engineer jobs
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What states have the most Operating System Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Operating System Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Operating System Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Operating System Engineer jobs are:
Operating System Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Operating System Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 78% Full Time, and 22% Contract. Highlights an 89% In-person, and 11% Hybrid job distribution, with an average salary of $127,215 per year, or $61.2 per hour.

Edge Operating System Engineer

Singularity Defense Corp.

El Segundo, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 24 days ago

Job description

About the Company:
We are a stealth-mode Aerospace & Defense startup headquartered in Gardena, CA. Our founding team hails from SpaceX, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin, and we are backed by Joint Staff-level military leadership and several Silicon Valley firms. With a world-class business development & leadership team already in place, we are well positioned to capitalize on already overwhelming demand.
Job Overview:
We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer focused on Edge Operating Systems to own the low-level software stack powering our NVIDIA Orin NX-based flight computer. In this role, you'll be responsible for architecting and maintaining our custom NixOS-based deployment and configuration pipeline, building high-reliability Linux systems optimized for flight, and integrating performance-critical applications into a secure, deterministic edge compute environment.
If you thrive at the intersection of embedded systems, Linux internals, and reproducible builds-and want your work to directly shape national defense-this is your role.
Key Responsibilities:
  • Own image lifecycle for our flight computers, from hardware bring-up to mission deployment
  • Build secure, minimal, reproducible NixOS configurations for NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX
  • Optimize performance, boot time, and reliability for mission-critical deployments
  • Integrate low-level software components (GStreamer, CUDA, GPU drivers, telemetry, real-time threads) into a cohesive system
  • Work closely with flight software and GNC teams to support real-time, multi-process workloads
  • Develop secure update mechanisms, sandboxing, and observability tools for edge devices in hostile environments
  • Lead debugging and performance analysis efforts across user space, kernel space, and hardware interfaces
  • Contribute to devops and CI pipelines for embedded Linux builds and simulation environments

Basic Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
  • 5+ years of experience building or maintaining embedded Linux systems (Yocto, Buildroot, NixOS, or similar)
  • Deep familiarity with Linux internals: systemd, udev, bootloaders (e.g., U-Boot), networking, filesystems
  • Fluency in shell scripting and programming in Python, Rust, or C
  • Hands-on experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms, including GPU and camera stack integration
  • Experience debugging kernel-space and user-space issues on embedded targets

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Advanced degree or research experience in operating systems, embedded systems, or security
  • Experience using Nix/NixOS in production for embedded or robotics systems
  • Familiarity with secure boot, TPMs, cryptographic key management, and OTA update systems
  • Knowledge of CUDA, GStreamer, or other high-performance Linux subsystems
  • Prior work on autonomous systems, aerospace, or other safety-critical domains
  • Contributions to open source operating systems or Nix community projects

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