Linux System Engineer Jobs
Linux System Engineer jobs are open across technology, finance, healthcare, and defense, from junior to senior and staff engineer levels, with specializations in automation, cloud infrastructure, and high-availability systems. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 85+ Linux System Engineer jobs
Location: Fort Meade, MD
Employment Type: Full-Time
Clearance: TS/SCI with Full Scope Polygraph
Salary Range: $115,000 to $130,000 per year
OTA is seeking System Administrators to provide support for implementation, troubleshooting and maintenance of Information Technology (IT) systems. Our System Administrators will manage IT systems including day-to-day operations, monitoring and problem resolution for all of the client/server/storage/network devices. If you're looking for a challenging mission with a company that cares about your success, then this could be the right position for you.
Responsibilities
- Provide Tier 1 (Help Desk) and Tier 2 (Escalation)
- Provide identification, diagnosis and resolution of IT problems
- Configure and manage UNIX and Windows (or other applicable) operating systems
- Implement systems enhancements to improve reliability and performance
- Provide feedback to agency management and internal customers
- Active TS/SCI clearance
- Current Full Scope Polygraph
- 10 years of experience as a System Administrator
- Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline or
- 5 additional years of SA experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree
- System Administration experience with CentOS 7, Rocky 9, and RHEL 9
- Upgrading servers, workstations, laptops
- Experience with the Customer Secure the Enterprise (STE) tasks
- Experience with the Customer data transfer process
- Hardware installation experience (servers/workstations)
- Linux
- Task Automation
- Ansible experience
- PXE boot
- Building VMs using Proxmox
- Identity Manager (IDM) experience
- Integration of IDM with a CentOS LDAP server
- Red Hat Certified System Administrator
- Experience trouble shooting and configuring Transport Layer Security (TLS)
- Windows 10/11 administration
- Linux networking experience
Company Overview
Ops Tech Alliance (OTA) was founded by former National Security and Special Operations professionals with over 100 years of combined experience and was formed with a singular focus: to bridge the gap between operations and technology to enable mission success. We are a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).
Team Member Benefits
- Competitive Pay
- Paid Time Off
- Tuition Assistance
- Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Coverage
- Life Insurance
- Work-life Balance
Our employees have achieved incredible things working on some of the most important technology and security projects in locations around the world to safeguard national security. We focus on hiring top talent and we want you to join our team.
OTA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
Location: Fort Meade, MD
Employment Type: Full-Time
Clearance: TS/SCI with Full Scope Polygraph
Salary Range: $115,000 to $130,000 per year
OTA is seeking System Administrators to provide support for implementation, troubleshooting and maintenance of Information Technology (IT) systems. Our System Administrators will manage IT systems including day-to-day operations, monitoring and problem resolution for all of the client/server/storage/network devices. If you're looking for a challenging mission with a company that cares about your success, then this could be the right position for you.
Responsibilities
- Provide Tier 1 (Help Desk) and Tier 2 (Escalation)
- Provide identification, diagnosis and resolution of IT problems
- Configure and manage UNIX and Windows (or other applicable) operating systems
- Implement systems enhancements to improve reliability and performance
- Provide feedback to agency management and internal customers
- Active TS/SCI clearance
- Current Full Scope Polygraph
- 10 years of experience as a System Administrator
- Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline or
- 5 additional years of SA experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree
- System Administration experience with CentOS 7, Rocky 9, and RHEL 9
- Upgrading servers, workstations, laptops
- Experience with the Customer Secure the Enterprise (STE) tasks
- Experience with the Customer data transfer process
- Hardware installation experience (servers/workstations)
- Linux
- Task Automation
- Ansible experience
- PXE boot
- Building VMs using Proxmox
- Identity Manager (IDM) experience
- Integration of IDM with a CentOS LDAP server
- Red Hat Certified System Administrator
- Experience trouble shooting and configuring Transport Layer Security (TLS)
- Windows 10/11 administration
- Linux networking experience
Company Overview
Ops Tech Alliance (OTA) was founded by former National Security and Special Operations professionals with over 100 years of combined experience and was formed with a singular focus: to bridge the gap between operations and technology to enable mission success. We are a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).
Team Member Benefits
- Competitive Pay
- Paid Time Off
- Tuition Assistance
- Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Coverage
- Life Insurance
- Work-life Balance
Our employees have achieved incredible things working on some of the most important technology and security projects in locations around the world to safeguard national security. We focus on hiring top talent and we want you to join our team.
OTA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
See All 85 Linux System Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Linux System Engineer JobsLinux System Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in linux system engineer jobs.
- Proficiency with Red Hat Enterprise Linux or CentOS in production environments
- Experience with configuration management tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef
- Strong scripting ability in Bash, Python, or Perl for automation tasks
- Familiarity with virtualization and containerization platforms including VMware and Kubernetes
- Red Hat Certified System Administrator or equivalent certification preferred or required
- Experience with monitoring and observability tools such as Nagios, Zabbix, or Prometheus
Tips for Your Linux System Engineer Job Search
Tailor your resume to kernel-level work
Hiring managers for linux system engineer roles scan for kernel tuning, performance profiling, and system call familiarity. If your resume only lists distributions without showing what you actually did inside them, it won't stand out in a crowded applicant pool.
Certify before applying to enterprise roles
Many enterprise and government openings list RHCSA or RHCE as a minimum requirement, not a nice-to-have. Completing one of these before applying meaningfully improves your chances of passing automated screening in applicant tracking systems.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists linux system engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that name your stack
Openings vary significantly by environment, some focus on bare-metal data centers, others on containers and orchestration. Filter for postings that name the specific tools you know, like Ansible, Puppet, or Kubernetes, to avoid interviews that expose mismatched expectations.
Prepare for live troubleshooting exercises
Many linux system engineer interviews include a live terminal session where you're asked to diagnose a broken service or performance issue. Practice working through problems like a failed systemd unit, a full disk partition, or a misconfigured network interface under time pressure before your interview.
Negotiate scope alongside compensation
Linux system engineer roles differ substantially in whether you own architecture decisions or execute tickets. During negotiation, clarify on-call rotation frequency, escalation paths, and whether the role includes infrastructure design work, since those factors affect long-term growth as much as pay does.
Linux System Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most linux system engineers?
Akina, Leidos, and BNH are hiring the most linux system engineers right now, with openings concentrated in Maryland, Virginia, and Texas, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is especially strong at defense contractors, financial institutions, and large cloud infrastructure providers.
How many linux system engineer jobs are remote?
About 27% of linux system engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the role's heavy reliance on SSH-accessible infrastructure rather than physical presence. Sub-areas like automation engineering and cloud operations tend to have the highest concentration of remote-eligible positions.
How do you become a linux system engineer?
Start by gaining hands-on comfort with a major Linux distribution through home lab work or cloud free tiers, focusing on networking, storage, and service management. Earn a recognized certification such as RHCSA to validate foundational skills. Build scripting ability in Bash or Python, then target junior system administrator roles to accumulate production experience before moving into a full linux system engineer position.
Can you get hired as a linux system engineer with little experience?
Yes, entry-level linux system engineer roles do exist, though they typically require demonstrable hands-on skills rather than a long work history. Building a home lab, contributing to open-source infrastructure projects, and earning an entry-level certification like RHCSA gives hiring managers concrete evidence of your abilities when your resume has limited professional experience to point to.
What does the linux system engineer interview process look like?
Most linux system engineer interviews include an initial recruiter screen, a technical phone or video round covering core concepts like filesystems, networking, and process management, and at least one live troubleshooting or hands-on exercise in a terminal environment. Final rounds often involve a system design discussion and a conversation with the team about operational practices, incident response, and tooling philosophy.
Where can I find and apply to linux system engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to linux system engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience and skill set, then apply directly to each one that fits.
See All 85 Linux System Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Linux System Engineer Jobs