Principal Linux System Administrator Jobs in Texas

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Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) is a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced optical and HFC networking products - the building blocks that power AI datacenters, CATV broadband, telecom, and fiber access networks around the world. Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, AOI is a vertically integrated company that designs and manufactures everything from semiconductor laser chips to finished optical transceivers, serving tier-one customers across cloud computing, broadband, and telecom. With R&D operations in Atlanta, GA and global manufacturing presence in Taiwan and China, AOI is publicly traded on the Nasdaq (AAOI) and is actively expanding its U.S.-based manufacturing operations in Sugar Land to meet accelerating demand in the AI datacenter market.

Summary

AOI is seeking a hands-on Linux & Proxmox Systems Administrator to manage, maintain, secure, and improve our Linux server and virtualized infrastructure supporting our growing IT operations. This role will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of Proxmox VE environments, Linux systems, virtual machines and containers, storage, backups, monitoring, automation, and related infrastructure while helping ensure availability, performance, and security.

The ideal candidate combines strong Linux systems administration fundamentals with practical Proxmox experience and the ability to troubleshoot across virtualization, storage, networking, and operating system layers. This person should be comfortable working independently, improving existing environments, automating repetitive work, and partnering across IT teams to maintain reliable infrastructure in a fast-paced, on-site manufacturing environment.

Job Responsibilities

Install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Linux servers across production and development environments.

Deploy, configure, and manage Proxmox VE clusters, including cluster nodes, quorum, high availability (HA), QEMU/KVM virtual machines, and LXC containers.

Create, migrate, snapshot, back up, and restore virtual machines and containers while monitoring resource utilization and optimizing performance.

Manage storage technologies integrated with Proxmox VE, including Ceph, ZFS, NFS, iSCSI, and SAN/NAS storage.

Maintain and upgrade Proxmox VE clusters and supporting infrastructure as needed.

Operations, Security & Automation

Proactively monitor system health, performance, availability, and security; diagnose and resolve hardware, software, virtualization, storage, and network issues.

Implement and maintain security best practices, including system hardening, firewall configuration, security updates, and regular patch management.

Develop and maintain automation using Bash, Python, Ansible, or similar tools to streamline repetitive administration, configuration, and deployment tasks.

Plan, implement, and regularly test backup and disaster recovery processes to support data integrity and business continuity.

Create and maintain documentation covering system configurations, architecture, operating procedures, and troubleshooting processes.

Collaborate with development, network, security, and other IT teams to support infrastructure requirements, projects, and new systems and services.

Provide advanced technical support for Linux systems and virtualized infrastructure, including system onboarding and critical incident response.

Qualifications

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Required

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

3+ years of professional Linux systems administration experience, including proven hands-on experience with Proxmox VE.

Experience administering Proxmox VE clusters, including high availability (HA), backup and restore, and storage integration (Ceph, ZFS, NFS, or iSCSI).

Experience managing virtual machines and LXC containers, including migration, snapshots, and performance tuning.

Strong knowledge of Linux operating systems, including kernel tuning, boot processes, and package management.

Proficiency in Bash shell scripting and at least one additional scripting language, such as Python, Perl, or Ruby.

Solid understanding of networking concepts, including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, firewalls, and load balancing.

Knowledge of system security best practices, including SELinux, AppArmor, and iptables/firewalld.

Familiarity with monitoring and observability tools such as Zabbix, Nagios, Prometheus, or Grafana.

Experience with backup and recovery tools such as Veeam, Proxmox Backup Server, or rsync.

Strong systems thinking, analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills, with a detail-oriented and proactive approach to system maintenance.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative environment.

Ability to work independently while managing multiple time-sensitive priorities.

Willingness to participate in an on-call rotation and respond to critical incidents as needed.

Preferred

Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.

Knowledge of configuration management tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef.

Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Understanding of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), particularly Terraform.

Experience with CI/CD pipelines and related tooling.

Relevant certifications such as LPIC, RHCSA, RHCE, or Proxmox certifications.

This position is full-time onsite and based in Sugar Land, Texas. The role supports AOI's on-premises Linux server, virtualization, storage, and related IT infrastructure within an office and manufacturing environment.

Expected business hours are generally Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CT, with flexibility required for planned maintenance, system upgrades, on-call coverage, and critical incidents.Why AOI?
In addition to competitive salary, AOI offers:

Flexible and competitive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision plans designed to meet individual and family needs

Employer matching on 401(k) deferrals

Generous PTO policy, with unused PTO payout at end of the year

Relocation packages available within the United States.

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc (AOI) is committed to providing equal opportunity in all of our employment practices, including hiring, placement, promotion, training, transfer and compensation, to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, veteran status, age, disability, marital status, or any other category protected by State or U.S. Federal law. Moreover, we endeavor to treat our employees fairly.

We do not accept unsolicited proposals from third-party recruiters or agencies. Contacting hiring managers directly may result in disqualification of submissions.