Linux Kernel Consultant (Remote/Anywhere)

About This Role

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.