Linux Kernel Engineer

Location: Owego, NY
Salary: $70.00 USD Hourly - $75.00 USD Hourly
Description:
Role: Linux Kernel Engineer

Location: Owego, NY 13827 ( hybrid)
Employment Type: Contract

We are seeking a senior level Linux kernel engineer to design and implement a kernel level solution that intercepts VFS read/write operations, pins user memory pages, builds scatter gather DMA tables, and offloads the data to a cryptographic accelerator (hardware engine or user space process). The engineer will collaborate with hardware, security, and software teams to deliver a stable, high performance, and secure off load path that complies with client coding standards and regulatory requirements.

Basic Qualifications

Minimum 2 years of professional experience developing, building, and debugging Linux kernel modules (C language, kbuild/DKMS).

Strong knowledge of core Linux internals (process scheduling, memory management, synchronization primitives).

Proficient in systems level C programming and familiar with kernel coding style and static analysis tools.

Demonstrated understanding of secure coding practices for kernel space (avoid leaks, race conditions, proper error handling).

Experience working with SELinux/AppArmor or similar LSM frameworks in a production environment.

Effective written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to produce clear design documentation and work within cross functional teams.

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Desired Skills & Experience

VFS & kprobe/kretprobe - Implemented handlers for vfs_read, vfs_write, or similar VFS entry points.

Page pinning & Memory Management - Used pin_user_pages_fast, get_user_pages, and managed pin count cleanup.

Scatter Gather / DMA engine - Built and populated struct sg_table / struct scatterlist; interfaced with dma_map_sg / dma_unmap_sg.

Linux Crypto API - Registered and used symmetric/asymmetric algorithms via the Crypto API, including async request handling.

Kernel Key Management - Managed cryptographic keys with the kernel keyring (keyctl, request_key) or integrated external KMS/HSM.

User Space Communication - Designed netlink, character device, ioctl, or shared memory interfaces for status updates and key exchange.

Testing & Profiling - Created kernel module unit tests (kselftest/kunit), used perf, ftrace, bpftrace for latency/performance analysis.

Hardware Crypto Offload - Experience with Intel QAT, ARM TrustZone, FPGA based accelerators, or similar off load engines.

Up stream Contributions - Submitted patches accepted to VFS, Crypto, DMA engine, or related subsystems.

Trusted Execution Environments / Secure Enclaves - Worked with OP TEE, Intel SGX, or comparable TEEs.

DPDK or High Performance User Space I/O - Familiarity with DPDK or similar frameworks for user space data paths.

Certifications - Linux Foundation Certified Engineer (LFCE), CISSP, GSEC, or specialized hardware security training.

Regulated Industry Experience - Prior work on aerospace, defense, or ITAR controlled projects with required documentation and audit practices.

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