Senior Linux Developer

Job Title: Senior Linux Developer
Location: Hybrid - Philadelphia PA (3 Days onsite)
Duration: 12+ Months

Summary:

The Linux Developer is responsible for engineering reliable, performant, and secure software solutions on Linux platforms. This role supports both legacy systems and modern applications, with emphasis on desktop environments, real-time processing, and mission-critical functions. By leveraging C/C++, scripting, GUI modernization, and enterprise integration capabilities, the developer ensures that system deliverables meet operational requirements, compliance standards, and scalability goals.

This position is essential to technology initiatives requiring deterministic behavior, platform stability, and efficient migration from outdated frameworks (e.g., Motif/X11) to current solutions (e.g., Wayland/GTK). It contributes directly to product resilience, business continuity, and long-term platform sustainability.

Essential Functions:

Design, develop, and maintain real-time, fault-tolerant desktop applications using C and C++ on Linux platforms

Migrate legacy GUI applications from Motif/X11 environments to modern Linux display protocols such as Wayland, using toolkits like GTK, Qt, or EFL

Write and maintain Bash scripts to automate build processes, deployment routines, and system-level diagnostics

Optimize application performance through multithreading, memory management, and low-latency scheduling techniques

Debug and profile applications using tools such as gdb, valgrind, perf, and strace to ensure stability and responsiveness

Implement secure coding practices and support audit-readiness for mission-critical systems

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate GUI applications with enterprise platforms and middleware

Configure and support lightweight desktop environments and custom window managers, including MWM and Wayland compositors

Manage source code and development workflows using Bitbucket, Git, and CI/CD pipelines

Develop and maintain IPC mechanisms (e.g., sockets, shared memory, DBus) for inter-process communication

Document system architecture, migration strategies, and operational procedures for modernization initiatives

Participate in code reviews, refactoring efforts, and legacy system analysis to support long-term maintainability

Support containerized deployment of desktop applications using Docker in secure, isolated environments

Deliverables:

24x7 system availability

Compiled binaries and executables for Linux systems, optimized for performance and reliability

Source code repositories with well-structured C/C++ code, adhering to coding standards and version control best practices

Bash scripts for build automation, deployment, diagnostics, and system integration

Makefiles or CMake/Meson build configurations for reproducible and portable builds across Linux distributions

-GUI application components, including migrated interfaces from Motif/X11 to modern toolkits like GTK, Qt, or Wayland-compatible frameworks

Documentation artifacts, such as API references, architecture diagrams, migration plans, and user manuals

Unit, integration, and performance test suites, with automated scripts and benchmarks for latency-sensitive applications

CI/CD pipeline configurations, integrated with Bitbucket or Git-based workflows for automated build and release cycles

Accessibility and compliance features, such as AT-SPI integration and support for screen readers or keyboard navigation

Legacy code refactoring reports, detailing modernization efforts from older GUI frameworks to current Linux standards

Required Skills:

Bachelor s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or related field (required)

Minimum 10 years of hands-on experience in C/C++ development on Linux systems

Expertise in C and C++ development for Linux desktop applications, including event-driven programming and UI logic

Proficiency in Bash scripting for build automation, deployment, and system-level integration

Experience with legacy GUI frameworks, including Motif, X11, and MWM, with the ability to analyze and refactor legacy codebases

Familiarity with modern display protocols, especially Wayland, including compositor-client architecture and protocol handling

Understanding of GUI migration strategies, including porting from Motif/X11 to toolkits like GTK, Qt, or EFL

Proficiency with Bitbucket and Git workflows, including branching, pull requests, and CI/CD pipelines

Experience with build systems such as CMake, Make, and debugging tools like gdb, valgrind,

Ability to work with low-level graphics APIs, such as OpenGL or Vulkan, for rendering and display optimization

Comfortable working in lightweight or minimal desktop environments, including configuration of .xinitrc, .Xresources, and custom window manager setups

Understanding of Linux system internals, including IPC, permissions, and performance tuning for GUI responsiveness

Strong documentation and communication skills, with the ability to translate technical migration plans into actionable development tasks

Preferred:

10 years of hands-on experience in C/C++ development on Linux systems

Deep knowledge of Linux kernel scheduling policies for deterministic latency.

Ability to write custom Wayland protocols and implement both client and compositor-side extensions for specialized GUI behavior.

Experience with Zero-Copy Inter-Process Communication (IPC) use of share memory to reducing latency and improving performance.

About IDEXCEL, INC
Idexcel is an IT services organization, with a mission to bring great people and great organizations together. Our diverse client base represents a wide range of industries, including technology, telecom, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, banking & financial services, food & commodities trading and federal organizations. Our teams of experienced recruiters directly work with client companies seeking exceptional people to help with their business initiatives. Idexcel, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, military status, national origin or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or applicable local law.