About This Role

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 is both deep technical work AND collaborative consulting, you'll partner with client engineering teams to solve their toughest kernel challenges while championing upstream-first approaches.

Location: Fully remote (any timezone, preference for overlap with EU/US hours)

Travel: Optional conference attendance

What You'll Actually Do

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
Mentor & Lead: Share knowledge with the team and help shape our kernel engineering practices

What We're Looking For

3+ years of Linux kernel development experience
Strong C programming skills and deep understanding of kernel internals
Proven debugging abilities - you can diagnose issues from vague bug reports and limited reproduction steps
Communication skills - good English language skills both spoken and written for patch reviews, documentation and client discussions
Self-directed work style - you thrive in a remote, asynchronous environment

Nice to Have's

Open source track record - active participation in kernel mailing lists, patch submissions, or subsystem maintenance
Experience with schedulers, power management, Bluetooth, WiFi or audio subsystems
Familiarity with CI/CD for kernel testing(KernelCI, Jenkins, LAVA)
Background in BSP development or board bring-up
Consultancy or client-facing technical background - you know how to balance technical excellence with business constraints, explain kernel internals to product teams, manage expectations across multiple projects and advocate for upstream solutions while respecting customer timelines
Distribution experience (Arch, Debian, Yocto, Buildroot)
Rust programming skills
Previous product support experience
Technical presentation skills - conference talks, customer presentations or internal knowledge sharing
Experience mentoring junior engineers or reviewing others' kernel patches

What We Offer - Compensation & Benefits

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 based on experience and location
Office setup budget
Sabbatical/Retention of Services - 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
Conference attendance -we cover expenses and encourage speaking opportunities
Open source time - contribute to projects you care about

What We Offer - Work Environment

Fully remote - work where you’re most productive
Global team - engineers across Europe, Americas and Asia
No on-call rotations - this isn't support work
Sustainable pace - we're here for the long term
Flexible hours - manage your own schedule

What We Offer - Growth & Impact

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

What We Offer - Cultures & Values

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

Our Interview Process

We respect your time and provide a clear, structured process:
Application Review (within 1 week) - we look at your code and contributions
Initial Chat (30 min) - casual conversation about your experience and our work
Technical Interview (2 - 3h)
Technical Deep-Dive - discuss kernel architecture, past debugging challenges and how you approach problem-solving (no whiteboard coding)
Code Review Session - review real patches together, discuss trade-offs
Client Scenario Discussion - talk through a realistic customer situation:
- balancing technical debt
- timeline pressure
- upstream goals (we want to see your thought process, not a "right answer")
Head of Consulting Discussion (60 min) - meet the Head of Consulting, ask about day-to-day work and how Collabora works, discuss compensation and benefits
Offer (within 1 week of final interview)
Total timeline: 3-4 weeks from application to offer
We provide feedback at every stage, and you'll always know where you stand

What Happen's Next

We'll acknowledge your application within 2 business days
Initial response within 1 week
Even if we don't move forward, we'll tell you why

Collabora's Commitment

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're strong in one area and interested in developing the other, we want to hear from you.

Linux Kernel Consultant

Anywhere in the world

Remote

Mid-level

Collabora