Kernel Developer - KernelCare ELS Team

Location: Fully Remote (Worldwide) – Focus on LATAM time zones (Americas) Employment Type: Full-time, B2B / Independent Contractor (or W2 for US-based candidates) Company: CloudLinux / TuxCare (DevJBS Inc.)

About CloudLinux / TuxCareCloudLinux is the company behind the CloudLinux OS and a suite of security solutions for the Linux ecosystem. Our TuxCare division is a global leader in automated live patching for Linux kernels, enabling enterprises to apply critical security updates without rebooting or downtime. We also provide extended support for end-of-life Linux distributions, helping organizations maintain compliance and security beyond standard EOL dates. With a team of 250+ professionals and over 4,500 clients—including Dell, GoDaddy, IBM, and Zoom—we are committed to delivering robust, enterprise-grade infrastructure solutions. Our fully remote, global team operates across the US, Europe, Latin America, and beyond.

Role Context: KernelCare ELSThe KernelCare Extended Lifecycle Support (ELS) team is dedicated to backporting security fixes and critical bug patches from upstream Linux kernels to older, enterprise-used kernel versions. Our mission is to keep legacy systems secure and stable, even when the original vendor no longer provides support. This is a hands-on, engineering-heavy role. You will not just study patches—you will actively backport, build, validate, and deliver kernel updates to production-grade environments. You’ll work closely with upstream Linux, RPM and Debian packaging systems, and modern automation tooling, including AI-assisted development workflows.

Key Responsibilities• Research & Analysis: Investigate upstream security (CVE) and bug fixes; analyze patch dependencies and impact on legacy kernels. • Backporting: Manually backport Linux kernel patches to older kernel versions used in RPM-based and Debian-based distributions. • Conflict Resolution: Resolve merge conflicts between upstream changes and target kernel codebases. • Kernel Packaging: Build and rebuild kernel source and binary packages using reproducible build environments for RPM and Debian ecosystems. • Validation & Testing: Validate patched kernels through build tests, runtime tests, and regression analysis to ensure stability. • Tooling & Automation: Enhance internal workflows (patch preparation, build automation, validation pipelines) using Python, Go, and Shell scripting. • AI Integration: Leverage agentic/AI-assisted development tools to accelerate tasks, while rigorously verifying every generated output. • Documentation & Collaboration: Document technical decisions, participate in code reviews, and communicate clearly with team members across time zones.