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Senior Linux Kernel Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Nightwing

Linux Systems Engineer

Sterling, VA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

This role is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in Linux networking, policy-based routing, kernel performance tuning, infrastructure automation, and modern VPN technologies including WireGuard ...

Nightwing

Linux Systems Engineer

Sterling, VA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

This role is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in Linux networking, policy-based routing, kernel performance tuning, infrastructure automation, and modern VPN technologies including WireGuard ...

Nwis

Linux Systems Engineer

Sterling, VA

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

This role is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in Linux networking, policy-based routing, kernel performance tuning, infrastructure automation, and modern VPN technologies including WireGuard ...

Leidos

Senior Linux Engineer

Hampton, VA · On-site

$92K - $166K/yr

The Senior Linux Engineer willbe responsible forimplementing, managing,installingand upgrading our Red Hat Linux environments.The job duties will be performed on site at Langley Air Force base, VA.

REDLattice

Linux Developer

Dulles, VA

Design, develop, and maintain low-level kernel-mode components, drivers, and subsystems for Linux platforms. * Perform reverse engineering of Linux binaries (both legitimate and malicious) to ...

REDLattice

Linux Developer

Dulles, VA · On-site

Design, develop, and maintain low-level kernel-mode components, drivers, and subsystems for Linux platforms. * Perform reverse engineering of Linux binaries (both legitimate and malicious) to ...

REDLattice

Linux Developer

Sterling, VA

Design, develop, and maintain low-level kernel-mode components, drivers, and subsystems for Linux platforms. * Perform reverse engineering of Linux binaries (both legitimate and malicious) to ...

Leidos

Senior Linux Engineer

Hampton, VA · On-site

$92K - $166K/yr

  • Medical

  • Retirement

  • PTO

The Senior Linux Engineer will be responsible for implementing, managing, installing and upgrading our Red Hat Linux environments. The job duties will be performed on site at Langley Air Force base ...

Leidos

Senior Linux Engineer

Hampton, VA · On-site

$92K - $166K/yr

The Senior Linux Engineer will be responsible for implementing, managing, installing and upgrading our Red Hat Linux environments. The job duties will be performed on site at Langley Air Force base ...

MAXISIQ, Inc.

Senior Linux Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

MAXISIQ has an immediate opening for a Senior Linux Engineer with expertise in network design, architectures, and operations to work as part of a collaborative, multidiscipline team in support of the ...

MAXISIQ, Inc.

Senior Linux Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

MAXISIQ has an immediate opening for a Senior Linux Engineer with expertise in network design, architectures, and operations to work as part of a collaborative, multidiscipline team in support of the ...

MAXISIQ, Inc.

Senior Linux Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

MAXISIQ has an immediate opening for a Senior Linux Engineer with expertise in network design, architectures, and operations to work as part of a collaborative, multidiscipline team in support of the ...

MAXISIQ

Senior Linux Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

MAXISIQ has an immediate opening for a Senior Linux Engineer with expertise in network design, architectures, and operations to work as part of a collaborative, multidiscipline team in support of the ...

Peraton

Senior Linux Systems Engineer

Herndon, VA · On-site

$104K - $166K/yr

Senior Linux Systems Engineers will be responsible for planning, deploying, and maintaining a wide variety of Linuxbasedservices. Ideal candidates will have experience with the technologies ...

Peraton

Senior Linux Systems Engineer

Herndon, VA · On-site

$104K - $166K/yr

Senior Linux Systems Engineers will be responsible for planning, deploying, and maintaining a wide variety of Linuxbasedservices. Ideal candidates will have experience with the technologies ...

Peraton

Senior Linux Systems Engineer

Herndon, VA · On-site

$104K - $166K/yr

Responsibilities We are seeking a Senior Linux Systems Engineer with a strong background in Linux administration and common open-source tools and software to join our team. This is an on-site ...

Nightwing

Linux Developer

Sterling, VA · On-site

They are seeking an experienced Linux Developer to design, develop, test, and debug high ... with Linux kernel development • Familiarity with embedded systems or performance-critical ...

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Senior Linux Kernel Engineer information

What is the difference between Senior Linux Kernel Engineer vs Linux Device Driver Developer?

AspectSenior Linux Kernel EngineerLinux Device Driver Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in Computer Science, Linux kernel certificationsBachelor's in Computer Science, Linux kernel or driver development courses
Work EnvironmentResearch and development, kernel development teamsHardware integration, driver development teams
Industry UsageOperating system development, embedded systemsHardware manufacturers, embedded systems, IoT devices
Common Search/ComparisonYesYes

The Senior Linux Kernel Engineer focuses on designing, developing, and optimizing the Linux kernel itself, often working on core system functionalities. In contrast, a Linux Device Driver Developer specializes in creating and maintaining drivers that enable hardware components to communicate with the Linux kernel. While both roles require deep Linux kernel knowledge and similar credentials, their work environments and focus areas differ. The senior engineer works on kernel internals, whereas the driver developer concentrates on hardware integration.

Are senior Linux kernel engineers in demand?

Senior Linux kernel engineers are in high demand due to the critical role of Linux in servers, cloud infrastructure, and embedded systems. Their expertise in kernel development, performance tuning, and security is sought after across various industries, often requiring strong programming skills and knowledge of system architecture.

What are the most commonly searched types of Linux Kernel Engineer jobs in Virginia?

The most popular types of Linux Kernel Engineer jobs in Virginia are:

What are popular job titles related to Senior Linux Kernel Engineer jobs in Virginia?

For Senior Linux Kernel Engineer jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Linux Kernel Engineer jobs in Virginia look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Linux Kernel Engineer jobs in Virginia are:

What cities in Virginia are hiring for Senior Linux Kernel Engineer jobs?

Cities in Virginia with the most Senior Linux Kernel Engineer job openings:

Senior Linux Kernel Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Linux Kernel Engineer job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution.

Linux Systems Engineer

Nightwing

Sterling, VA • On-site

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 10 days ago

Job description

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers' most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets.
Nightwing is seeking a highly skilled Linux Systems Engineer to design, deploy, optimize, automate, and support large-scale Linux infrastructure supporting secure networking and remote-access services. This role is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in Linux networking, policy-based routing, kernel performance tuning, infrastructure automation, and modern VPN technologies including WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPSec.
The successful candidate will collaborate closely with network engineering, systems administration, and platform engineering teams to deliver highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructure solutions in mission-critical environments.
Primary Responsibilities
Linux Infrastructure Engineering
  • Design, deploy, administer, and maintain enterprise Linux environments.
  • Develop standardized operating system configurations and hardened baseline builds.
  • Perform operating system upgrades, patch management, lifecycle maintenance, and performance optimization.
  • Troubleshoot complex operating system, networking, and application issues.
Advanced Network Engineering
Design and implement advanced routing architectures utilizing:
  • Policy-Based Routing (PBR)
  • Multiple routing tables
  • Route maps and traffic steering
  • Source-based and destination-based routing
  • Multi-homed network environments
Configure and troubleshoot:
  • OSPF and static routing
  • VLANs, LACP, and 802.1Q trunking
  • Network namespaces
  • VRFs
  • NAT and firewall policies
Analyze and troubleshoot network traffic using:
  • tcpdump
  • Wireshark
  • iproute2
  • nftables
  • iptables
Linux Kernel Tuning & Performance Optimization
Tune Linux kernel parameters for:
  • High-throughput networking
  • Low-latency applications
  • VPN gateway performance
  • Large-scale concurrent connections
Optimize:
  • TCP/IP stack performance
  • Network buffer sizing
  • IRQ balancing
  • CPU affinity
  • NUMA awareness
  • Memory management
Utilize performance analysis tools including:
  • perf
  • sar
  • vmstat
  • iostat
  • eBPF observability tools
  • systemd performance metrics
VPN Engineering
Design, deploy, and support secure VPN infrastructures using:
  • OpenVPN 2.6+
  • WireGuard
  • IPSec
Implement and support:
  • Site-to-site VPNs
  • Remote-access VPNs
  • Hub-and-spoke architectures
  • High-availability VPN clusters
  • Dynamic routing across VPN overlays
Responsibilities include:
  • Troubleshooting encryption, routing, MTU, and performance issues
  • Implementing modern cryptographic standards and VPN hardening best practices
Configuration Management & Automation
Develop and maintain Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions using SaltStack.
Create and maintain:
  • Salt States
  • Pillars
  • Custom modules
  • Orchestration workflows
Automate:
  • System provisioning
  • Configuration deployment
  • Compliance enforcement
  • VPN deployments
  • Security baseline management
Integrate SaltStack with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure monitoring platforms.
Required Qualifications:
Current Top-Secret Clearance with SCI Eligibility
Technical Experience
  • 5+ years of Linux Systems Engineering experience
  • 3+ years of advanced Linux networking experience
  • 3+ years of VPN engineering experience
  • 3+ years of SaltStack administration and automation experience
Operating Systems
Strong hands-on experience with:
  • Debian Linux
  • Ubuntu Linux
Networking Expertise
Demonstrated expertise with:
  • Policy-Based Routing (PBR)
  • iproute2
  • Routing tables and policy rules
  • Linux bridges
  • Bonding and teaming
  • VLANs
  • VRFs
  • Network namespaces
  • Dynamic routing protocols
  • High-availability networking architectures
VPN Expertise
Strong practical experience with:
  • WireGuard
  • OpenVPN 2.6+
  • IPSec
  • PKI and certificate management
  • TLS authentication
  • Multi-site VPN topologies
  • VPN performance tuning
Automation & Scripting
Experience with:
  • SaltStack
  • Python
  • Bash
  • Git
  • CI/CD workflows

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience supporting cloud platforms including:
    • Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform)
    • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
    • Microsoft Azure
  • Experience with container technologies:
    • Docker
    • Kubernetes
  • Experience supporting confidential computing environments
  • Knowledge of CNSA-compliant cryptographic implementations
  • Familiarity with eBPF-based observability and network diagnostics
  • Industry certifications such as:
    • RHCE
    • LFCE
    • CCNP
    • Equivalent advanced certifications

Desired Skills
  • Exceptional troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capabilities
  • Strong documentation and technical writing skills
  • Ability to operate independently in mission-critical environments
  • Experience designing highly available and fault-tolerant systems
  • Security-first mindset with strong infrastructure design principles
  • Excellent collaboration and communication skills

Salary & Benefits
The salary associated with this position ($99,000-$206,000) is commensurate with the selected candidate's qualifications, years of relevant experience, and demonstrated level of expertise. Compensation will be determined based on these factors to ensure alignment with skills, responsibilities, and market standards.
Nightwing offers medical, vision and dental insurance coverage in addition to a 401k plan, PTO, Holidays, and additional insurances.
Nightwing is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.

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