Ship kernel code that runs on millions of devices worldwide. You'll work directly on upstream Linux development for a flagship consumer product while contributing to the broader kernel community. This isn't just maintenance work, you'll be solving hard problems and your code goes upstream. This role suits an engineer who wants to go deep: you will have the space to develop genuine subsystem expertise, build your upstream profile and grow into technical leadership over time.
This role combines deep technical work with collaborative consulting. You will partner with client engineering teams to solve their toughest kernel challenges while championing upstream-first approaches.
Location:
Fully remote (preference for EU or East Coast US hours)
Travel:
Optional conference attendance
Upstream First:Contribute directly to mainline Linux kernel development: schedulers, power management, device drivers and core subsystems
Real-World Impact:Support and optimise Linux for extremely popular consumer devices used by millions of people
Solve Hard Problems:Make Linux do things it can't currently do. Push the boundaries of what is possible to mould Linux to suit new use cases. Tackle device failures without the luxury of a stack trace, relying on experience and intuition. Just because Linux doesn't do it currently, doesn't mean we can't invent it.
Community Collaboration:Work with upstream maintainers and represent Collabora at conferences
Client Partnership:Translate customer needs into technical solutions while advocating for upstream-first approaches. You'll help clients understand why investing in upstream benefits their long-term goals
Navigate Constraints:Balance technical excellence with real-world pressures: customer deadlines, hardware limitations, business priorities, while keeping code quality high
Be a Technical Advisor:Explain complex kernel decisions to product teams, provide honest timelines and build trust through transparent communication
We offer a competitive benefits package tailored to each country in which we have employees, plus a core global benefit offering accessible to all Collaborans. Our core benefits include:
Competitive salary- Salary is location-dependent and benchmarked against local market data. We ask candidates to share their expectations during the application process and engage with those honestly
Conference attendance- we cover expenses and encourage speaking opportunities
Open source time- contribute to projects you care about
Office setup budget
Sabbatical/Retention of Services, available after five years continuous service
Co-working policy-support for working outside home
Wellness assessments -biannual well-being assessments with a trained mental health specialist
Fully remote- work where you’re most productive
Global team- engineers across Europe, Americas and Asia
No on-call rotations- while the role involves supporting client engineering teams, there are no on-call rotations or out-of-hours incident response expectations
Flexible hours- manage your own schedule
Upstream contributions- your work shapes Linux, not just client products
Technical leadership track- path to principal engineer, subsystem expertise or technical architecture roles
Consulting track- develop deeper client relationships, lead customer engagements or shape service offerings
Mentorship opportunities- both receiving and providing guidance
Conference speaking- we support presentation submissions and provide coaching
Recognition- your contributions are public, building your professional reputation
Upstream first- we believe the best solutions benefit everyone
Transparency- open discussion about technical decisions, business constraints and project challenges
Pragmatism- perfect is the enemy of good; we ship quality code that solves real problems
Respect for expertise- we trust engineers to make technical decisions
Collaborative- we succeed by working together, internally and with the community
Sustainable pace- we're here for the long haul, not death marches
Review overnight mailing-list discussions on your subsystem(s)
Triage new customer issue reports
Respond to client question about kernel panic they're investigating
Pair debug session with colleague on tricky scheduler behaviour
Deep work: finish patch series for power management optimisation
Quick video call with customer team to explain your proposed approach and timeline
Review and test colleague's patch before they submit upstream
Respond to upstream maintainer feedback on your RFC patch
Update client on progress, discuss trade-offs between fast fix vs. upstream-ready solution
Join optional team "office hours" to discuss architecture decision
Write kernel commit message that explains the "why" for future maintainers
Some days are deep technical work, others involve more client communication. You'll balance both based on project needs and your strengths.
We respect your time and provide a clear, structured process:
Total timeline:
3-4 weeks from application to offer
Initial response within 1 week
Even if we don't move forward, we'll tell you why
We're committed to building a diverse team and inclusive environment. We encourage applications from people under-represented in tech.
We evaluate candidates based on skills and contributions, not pedigree. If you're unsure whether you qualify, apply anyway—imposter syndrome is real and you might be exactly who we're looking for.
We recognise that the combination of deep kernel expertise and consulting skills is rare. If you have strong kernel development experience and are newer to the consulting side of the role, or vice versa, we want to hear from you. We can develop one if the other is solid.
#LI-Remote
