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Senior Unix Engineer Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Sonsoft Inc

Unix / Open Systems

Chicago, IL

At least 4 years of development/programming experience in in Unix/Shell scripting, Unix Administration, Perl, PL/SQL. * At least 4 years of experience in software development life cycle. * At least 2 ...

Sunrise Futures, LLC

Senior Systems Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$107K - $147K/yr

Sunrise Futures is looking to hire a talented Senior Systems Engineer to join our team. The Role ... Experience with unix servers working in bare metal and virtualized environments * Experience with ...

Sunrise Futures, LLC

Senior Systems Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$107K - $147K/yr

Sunrise Futures is looking to hire a talented Senior Systems Engineer to join our team. The Role ... Experience with unix servers working in bare metal and virtualized environments * Experience with ...

Elite Technical

Sr. Elastic Engineer

Scott Air Force Base, IL · On-site

$110K - $151K/yr

Sr. Elastic Engineer (Scott AFB) We are seeking a Sr. Elastic Engineer to join our clients Federal ... Unix, networking, and cloud platform knowledge (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform). - Ability to ...

ECS

Sr. Elastic Engineer

Scott Air Force Base, IL · On-site

$100K - $138K/yr

ECS is seeking a Sr. Elastic Engineer to work in our Scott AFB, IL office. Are you passionate about ... Strong Linux/Unix, networking, and cloud platform knowledge (AWS, Azure, GCP). * Ability to mentor ...

Informatic Technologies

Sr Software Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

The Senior Software Engineer engineers develops secure, scalable and reliable technology solutions ... Good to have unix/linux experience * Experience in developing and automating solutions directly ...

NextRow Digital

Sr Informatica Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

NextRow is looking to hire a Senior Informatica Developer / Engineer on a contract basis ... in SQL and Scripting (Unix sell scripts, Python) • Hands on experience in data pipeline ...

Photon

Sr. Developer - FullStack - Cleveland, OH

Chicago, IL · On-site

$133K - $172K/yr

Support Linux/UNIX administration, including installation, configuration, tuning, and upgrades ... Engineer with strong expertise in GCP . * Proficient in Terraform , CI/CD pipelines, and cloud ...

TRUCE Software

Senior Software Engineer (Platform)

Chicago, IL · On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

They are seeking a dedicated Senior Software Engineer to help architect, build, and maintain their ... UNIX command line tools (e.g., grep, find, tail, awk, sed). • Result-oriented and can get things ...

Amaze Systems Inc.

Senior Developer

Naperville, IL · On-site

$54.50 - $72/hr

... Senior Developer Mandatory Skills Mainframe Cobol (Primary) JCL CICS VSAM ... Unix Shell scripting is preferred Client Interview Needed for Selection (Yes / No) No To be ...

Forhyre

Big Data Engineer

Rolling Meadows, IL

$56 - $74.25/hr

AWS, UNIX & SQL Looking for an experienced Senior Big Data Developer who will be responsible for, * Technical leadership in driving solutions and hands on contributions * To build new cloud based ...

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All JobsUnix Engineer JobsSenior Unix Engineer JobsSenior Unix Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Senior Unix Engineer information

See Illinois salary details

$57.7K

$122.6K

$177.8K

How much do senior unix engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior unix engineer in Illinois is $122,637.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $101,300.00 and $139,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior Unix engineer?

To thrive as a Senior Unix Engineer, you need deep expertise in Unix/Linux system administration, scripting, troubleshooting, and a relevant degree or equivalent experience. Familiarity with automation tools (such as Ansible or Puppet), shell scripting languages (like Bash or Perl), and certifications like RHCE or CompTIA Linux+ is highly valued. Strong problem-solving skills, effective communication, and the ability to mentor junior staff help set top performers apart in this role. These skills ensure reliable systems, smooth operations, and robust support for complex enterprise environments.

What does a senior Unix engineer do?

A Senior Unix Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining Unix-based systems within an organization. They handle advanced troubleshooting, system performance tuning, security configurations, and ensure the reliability and scalability of Unix infrastructure. In addition, they often mentor junior engineers, develop automation scripts, and collaborate with other IT teams to support business operations. Their expertise is crucial for managing large-scale, mission-critical environments.

What is the difference between Senior Unix Engineer vs System Administrator?

AspectSenior Unix EngineerSystem Administrator
CredentialsBachelor's in Computer Science, Unix/Linux certifications (e.g., RHCE, LPIC)Bachelor's in IT or related field, Linux/Unix certifications often preferred
Work EnvironmentDesigning, implementing, and maintaining Unix systems, often in enterprise environmentsManaging daily system operations, troubleshooting, and user support
Industry UsageTech, finance, healthcare, and large enterprisesVaries across industries, including small to large organizations
Search & Comparison IntentFocus on advanced Unix skills and system designFocus on operational support and system maintenance

The main difference is that Senior Unix Engineers focus on designing and optimizing Unix systems, while System Administrators handle daily operations and support. Both roles require similar certifications and work in related environments, but their responsibilities differ in scope and complexity.

What are some of the most common challenges faced by senior Unix engineers in a large enterprise environment?

Senior Unix Engineers in large enterprises often face challenges related to managing complex, heterogeneous server environments and ensuring high availability. Balancing routine maintenance, security patching, and system upgrades with the need to minimize downtime can be demanding. Additionally, staying up to date with evolving technologies and scripting languages, while coordinating with cross-functional teams like network, storage, and application groups, requires strong communication and problem-solving skills.

What are popular job titles related to Senior Unix Engineer jobs in Illinois?

For Senior Unix Engineer jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Unix Engineer jobs in Illinois look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Unix Engineer jobs in Illinois are:

What cities in Illinois are hiring for Senior Unix Engineer jobs?

Cities in Illinois with the most Senior Unix Engineer job openings:

Senior Unix Engineer jobs near you

Senior Unix/Linux Systems Engineer/Admin

Teknohire, Inc.

Chicago, IL • On-site

Other

Posted 2 days ago

New

Job description

Senior Unix/Linux Systems Administrator Clustering & Automation

Job Type: Contract 6+ months, high possibility of extension
Location: Chicago, IL Hybrid (Tuesday Thursday onsite expected)
Alternative Locations: Chicago, IL
Experience: 8+ years
Start: ASAP / upon clearance

The ideal candidate will have hands-on expertise with RHEL, Oracle Linux, Red Hat PCS clustering, Ansible, Linux automation, and enterprise storage technologies. This role will support large-scale infrastructure initiatives, including NFS/storage migrations and coordination with application teams.

Key Responsibilities
  • Administer and support Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 6/7/8/9) environments.
  • Manage Oracle Linux and other Unix/Linux platforms.
  • Configure, maintain, patch, and troubleshoot enterprise Linux servers.
  • Support Red Hat PCS clustering and high-availability environments.
  • Perform storage administration using ZFS, LVM, Veritas, SAN/NAS and related technologies.
  • Support NFS/storage migration initiatives across approximately 200 application teams.
  • Coordinate technical migration activities, schedules, and implementation plans.
  • Work with application teams to evaluate migration options and resolve technical issues.
  • Manage VMware vSphere environments supporting highly available infrastructure.
  • Develop automation for Linux build, patching, configuration, and maintenance.
  • Create and maintain Ansible playbooks and automation workflows.
  • Develop system administration scripts using Bash/Bourne Shell, Python, Perl, or Java.
  • Perform OS upgrades, security patching, backups, and configuration management.
  • Monitor system health, performance, availability, and capacity.
  • Participate in production releases, maintenance windows, and after-hours activities.
  • Participate in a 24x7 on-call rotation.
  • Troubleshoot complex infrastructure issues and drive problems through resolution.
  • Create and maintain technical documentation, procedures, and implementation plans.
  • Collaborate with infrastructure, application, security, and cloud teams.
  • Provide technical leadership during migrations and infrastructure initiatives.
Required Skills
  • 6 8+ years of Linux/Unix System Administration experience
  • Expert-level Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
  • Strong Oracle Linux experience
  • Hands-on Red Hat PCS clustering
  • Experience with Linux/Unix clustering
  • Strong storage administration experience:
    • ZFS
    • LVM
    • Veritas
    • SAN/NAS
    • NFS
  • Strong scripting experience with at least one:
    • Bash/Bourne Shell
    • Python
    • Perl
    • Java
  • Hands-on Ansible experience, particularly for RHEL/OEL build and patch automation
  • VMware vSphere experience
  • Strong troubleshooting and production support skills
  • Experience with enterprise-scale infrastructure environments
  • Strong understanding of patching, backups, monitoring, and change management
  • Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent experience
Preferred Skills
  • Solaris administration
  • Veritas InfoScale
  • Oracle Clusterware
  • Oracle Exadata
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
  • Zerto
  • VMware certifications
  • Red Hat certifications
  • Azure Administrator or Oracle Cloud certifications
  • Experience with RAID, SAN, NAS, and enterprise backup technologies
  • Fortune 500 / large enterprise experience
  • Financial services or other highly regulated enterprise experience
Behavioral Requirements
  • Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
  • Strong technical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
  • Comfortable leading technical discussions with peers and application teams.
  • Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.
  • Willingness to work extended hours and after-hours maintenance windows.
  • Ability to participate in 24x7 on-call rotation.
  • Results-oriented and able to drive assigned initiatives through completion

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