Sr Linux Engineer/Linux Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Job Title: Linux Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Location: Herndon VA - 3 Days Onsite

Duration: 6+ Months Contract

Job Description:

Note: boot troubleshooting, migration projects, and automation tools

• Deep Linux Expertise (RHEL/CentOS/Ubuntu): 13–15+ years of hands-on Linux administration with strong expertise in system internals, kernel tuning, performance optimization, networking, storage (LVM/NFS), and enterprise production environments.
• Advanced Troubleshooting & Boot Process Knowledge: Strong capability in L4-level troubleshooting, including Linux boot process (BIOS/UEFI → GRUB → Kernel → initramfs → systemd), resolving kernel panics, boot failures, filesystem corruption, and complex production outages.
• Large-Scale Migration Experience: Proven experience in data center or cloud migration projects, especially VM lift-and-shift migrations, platform modernization, and Linux workload migrations across on-prem, virtualized, and cloud environments.
• Cloud & Virtualization: Hands-on experience managing Linux workloads on AWS / Azure / Google Cloud Platform, with strong understanding of VMware/KVM virtualization and exposure to containers (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Automation & Infrastructure Tools: Strong scripting and automation skills using Bash/Python, and experience with configuration management tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef to automate provisioning, patching, and infrastructure management.

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Linux Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support and lead large-scale infrastructure migration and transformation projects involving enterprise Linux environments. This role will play a critical part in planning, executing, and validating migrations from legacy platforms to modern Linux infrastructure across on-premises, virtualized, and cloud environments.

The Linux SME will provide deep technical expertise during assessment, design, migration, and post-migration stabilization phases, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations. The role will also serve as the highest level of technical escalation (L4) for complex migration-related issues, including system compatibility, performance tuning, and platform optimization.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in enterprise Linux administration, automation, virtualization, and cloud platforms, along with proven experience delivering data center or platform migration projects. This position will also contribute to migration planning, architecture decisions, automation of migration activities, and knowledge transfer to operations teams to ensure long-term platform stability.

Key Responsibilities 

• System Administration & Engineering
• Design, deploy, and manage enterprise Linux environments (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, etc.)
• Install, configure, and maintain physical and virtual Linux servers
• Perform kernel tuning, system performance optimization, and capacity planning
• Manage high-availability and clustering solutions
• Implement OS-level security hardening and compliance policies
• Advanced Troubleshooting (L4 Escalation)
• Act as the highest escalation point for critical production... issues
• Perform root cause analysis (RCA) for major incidents
• Debug kernel-level and performance-related problems
• Handle complex system outages and recovery scenarios
•  Automation & Configuration Management
•  Develop automation scripts using Bash, Python, or Perl
• Implement configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef)
• Automate patch management and system provisioning
• Support Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices
•   Cloud & Virtualization
• Manage Linux workloads in AWS/Azure/Google Cloud Platform environments
• Support containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Administer virtualized environments (VMware, KVM)
• create and maintain technical documentation and SOPs
• Mentor junior (L1–L3) administrators

Ideal Candidate Profile 

• 13–15+ years of IT Infrastructure experience with strong specialization in Linux platform administration, engineering, and enterprise infrastructure support.
• Proven experience managing and supporting large-scale enterprise Linux environments, ensuring system reliability, performance optimization, and operational stability.
• Strong expertise in the Linux boot process and startup sequence, including BIOS/UEFI initialization, bootloader (GRUB) configuration, kernel loading, initramfs, system initialization (systemd/init), and transition to user space.
• Advanced troubleshooting capabilities for Linux boot failures and startup issues, including kernel panics, filesystem corruption, bootloader misconfiguration, initramfs failures, and service startup errors, with the ability to resolve issues at each stage of the boot process.
• Extensive experience in system-level troubleshooting and performance analysis, including kernel logs, system logs, and recovery procedures to restore system functionality.
• Hands-on experience supporting large-scale Linux infrastructure environments with enterprise-grade monitoring, patching, and lifecycle management.
• Solid experience with virtual machine lift-and-shift migrations, including hands-on involvement in large-scale VM migration projects across datacenters or cloud environments.

  Core Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in:
• RHEL / CentOS / Ubuntu administration
• Shell scripting (Bash)
• Python scripting
• Systemd and Linux service management
• Linux networking
• Storage management (LVM, NFS, etc.)
• System performance monitoring and tuning

Tools & Technologies

• Configuration Management
• Ansible
• Puppet
• Chef
• Cloud Platforms
• AWS
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform)
• Containers & Orchestration
• Docker
• Kubernetes

Preferred Skills

• Experience with DevOps and CI/CD environments
• Knowledge of Linux security frameworks (SELinux, AppArmor)
• Exposure to monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios, Zabbix)
• Experience with large-scale infrastructure automation
• RHEL/CentOS/Ubuntu
• Shell scripting (Bash)
• Python scripting
• Systemd, networking, storage management

Education:

• Bachelor''s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• Certification : AWS Certified Solutions Architect