---
title: 'Senior/Principal Linux Engineer at CIQ'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-principal-linux-engineer-ciq-remote-q8vm6x298bc3'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-18'
---

# Senior/Principal Linux Engineer at CIQ

- **Company:** CIQ
- **Location:** Remote
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-09-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ciq/jobs/5440038008

## Job description

## CIQ OVERVIEW

CIQ builds the enterprise infrastructure that powers the world's most demanding workloads. From the operating system layer through AI infrastructure, high-performance computing, and cloud-native orchestration, CIQ delivers the speed, security, scalability, and sovereignty that major enterprises, government agencies, and research institutions depend on.

CIQ is the founding support and services partner of Rocky Linux and the developer of the RLC Pro family of Enterprise Linux distributions, Fuzzball workload orchestration, Warewulf Pro cluster provisioning, and Ascender Pro automation. Our customers include some of the largest and most technically sophisticated organizations in the world, working across HPC, AI/ML, defense, and regulated industries.

We are a company of builders, operators, and open source practitioners. If you want to do work that matters, at a company that is genuinely changing how enterprise infrastructure gets built and run, we want to talk.

Title determined based on qualifications.

## POSITION SUMMARY

As a Principal Linux Engineer, you will be part of the team that owns software solutions for Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC) and will be primarily responsible for building, patching, and testing userspace packages in the operating system. You will also work on improving tooling and automation as part of the package-building process in the OS. You need an understanding of CVE’s and how to remediate CVE’s in RPM packages that are shipped to customers. You will also be working on how to customize, optimize, and create various packages to improve the customer experience with our products. You will build out testing for both specific software as well as testing the system as a whole. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

- Working closely with the engineering, product, open-source community, and sales teams to develop relevant solutions.
- Taking part in architecture-level discussions, planning, and implementation
- Documenting each project to share knowledge and facilitate integration for users.
- Driving proofs of concept and minimum viable products for demonstration.
- Focusing on quality by developing automated tests
- A Releasing fast and releasing often, software development mentality
- Leveraging source control (Github/ Gitlab) for all development while collaborating with internal teams and the open-source community.
- Supporting multiple services before they go live through activities such as system design consulting, software platform and framework development, capacity planning, and launch reviews.
- Deployment on standard server architectures, virtual machines, and cloud infrastructure

## NEEDED TO SUCCEED

Successful candidates will have:

- An understanding of Linux OS packaging, like RPM or DEB.
- Familiarity with CVE’s and remediation of these for older versions of the code.
- Deep understanding of how a Linux Operation system works, including how various packages interact with each other.
- Ability to work independently & collaboratively within a remote team environment.
- Proven experience with Linux administration, Linux internals, Docker, Kubernetes,  Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tools and processes
- Familiarity with Ansible playbooks and/or DoD STIG/SCAP/RADIX process
- Proficient in: Bash, YAML, XML, JSON, REST APIs / OpenAPI, HTTP Get / Post
- Be familiar with Python, GoLang, Kubernetes, and other tools/technologies within Engineering
- Demonstrate problem-solving, debugging, and communication skills
- Able to pivot to new challenges in a fast-paced startup environment using agile methodologies
- A friendly, collaborative, humble, honest, and always striving to be better attitude.

## EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

- Proven work experience as a Linux Engineer, Linux Development Engineer, or a Software Developer with a focus on the Linux OS.
- At least 4 years of experience supporting Linux and at least 2 years of experience building Linux Packages

## BENEFITS

- Medical, dental, and vision insurance.

- Flexible paid time off.

- Employee stock options.

- Remote work; no travel required for most positions.

## About CIQ

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: CIQ provides enterprise-grade, FIPS-validated software infrastructure for AI, HPC, and regulated environments, built around Rocky Linux and open-source orchestration tools.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; raised $26M total funding)
- **Headquarters**: Reno, Nevada, USA
- **Founded**: 2020
- **Founders**: Gregory Kurtzer (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Enterprise infrastructure software, AI/HPC orchestration, Linux and open-source support.
- **Target customers**: Large enterprises, research institutions, and government agencies requiring secure, compliant, and scalable Linux-based infrastructure. B2B, Enterprise.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Simplify and unify software infrastructure, enabling you to craft groundbreaking technologies for the generations to come.” [ciq.com](https://ciq.com/company/about)

## Products & Services
- **RLC Pro (Rocky Linux Commercial Pro)**: The commercial, enterprise-grade binary-compatible Linux distribution based on Rocky Linux. Includes LTS, FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography, and CAVP-certified post-quantum algorithms. Tiered versions include RLC Pro Hardened (for CMMC, CNSA 2.0) and RLC Pro AI (pre-integrated with NVIDIA CUDA/DOCA and AMD ROCm).
- **Fuzzball**: A high-performance orchestration platform for AI and HPC workloads across on-premises and multi-cloud environments.
- **Warewulf Pro**: Stateless cluster provisioning at scale, ensuring every node boots from a known state.
- **Ascender Pro**: An open, enterprise-grade IT automation platform for managing complex workflows across the entire stack.
- **Enterprise Support & Consulting**: Direct access to Linux and HPC engineers for production support, custom training, and hands-on consulting.
- **Training**: Customized training on Linux, IT automation, HPC, and AI infrastructure, available in-person or virtually.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $26M (Series A). Reported 2.75M+ Rocky Linux instances and 250k average monthly downloads. [ciq.com](https://ciq.com/)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Key partners include NVIDIA and AMD (pre-integrated GPU stacks). Investors not fully detailed on public site.
- **Growth Signals**: 90% of Fortune 100 companies are reported users. Headcount growth trends show +66.7% yearly increase in job postings. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ctrliq) Amazon Linux 2 end-of-life (June 2026) provides a significant market migration opportunity to Rocky Linux.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Rocky Linux Ownership**: As the founding commercial support and services partner of Rocky Linux, CIQ has direct influence and deep expertise in the most popular CentOS replacement.
- **Full-Stack Integration**: Pre-validated NVIDIA and AMD GPU stacks (CUDA, DOCA, ROCm) eliminate driver matching and kernel conflicts, offering a ready-to-run AI infrastructure.
- **Compliance and Security**: FIPS 140-3, CAVP, and CMMC certifications make CIQ a go-to for regulated industries and government contracts.
- **Open-Source Core**: Built on open-source communities (Rocky Linux, Warewulf, Fuzzball), ensuring transparency and community innovation while providing enterprise-grade support.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI Infrastructure**: Optimizing the OS and orchestration layers specifically for GPU-accelerated AI workloads, targeting the growing enterprise AI market.
- **Regulated Environments**: Deepening compliance capabilities (CNSA 2.0, CMMC) to serve federal and defense sectors.
- **Migration from Amazon Linux 2**: Capitalizing on the June 2026 end-of-life deadline to attract AWS-native enterprises seeking a stable, compliant alternative.
- **Open-Source Ecosystem**: Continuing to invest in and lead the Rocky Linux and related open-source communities to drive adoption and innovation.

## Why Work Here
- **100% Remote**: Full remote flexibility is a core offering. [ciq.com](https://ciq.com/company/careers)
- **Culture of Ownership**: Emphasis on accountability, “startup mode” efficiency, and a “customer first” philosophy.
- **Work with Industry Pioneers**: Collaborate with the creator of Rocky Linux and other open-source and HPC veterans.
- **Comprehensive Benefits**: Healthcare, vision, dental, flexible PTO, and growth opportunities.
- **Open and Humble Environment**: Culture built on mutual respect, diversity, and constructive feedback, with a “no-drama” policy.

## Sources
1. [ciq.com](https://ciq.com/)
2. [ciq.com - About](https://ciq.com/company/about)
3. [ciq.com - Careers](https://ciq.com/company/careers)
4. [ciq.com - Leadership](https://ciq.com/company/leadership)
5. [linkedin.com - CIQ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ctrliq)

## Other roles at CIQ

- [Channel Sales Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/channel-sales-manager-ciq-remote-7anh66f2gmmm)
- [Principal Linux Security Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-linux-security-engineer-ciq-remote-00bph1qemyvn)
- [Linux Kernel Development Engineer - Live Patching](https://feeny.ai/job/linux-kernel-development-engineer-live-patching-ciq-remote-bqzebttkscyb)
- [HPC Development Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/hpc-development-engineer-ciq-remote-z1adq5knrcga)
- [Sr. Linux Solutions Architect](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-linux-solutions-architect-ciq-remote-w1hk1mdaehpp)
- [Account Executive](https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-ciq-remote-nvx7e42cg25f)
- [Sr. Customer Support Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-customer-support-engineer-ciq-remote-f8nv977b643g)
- [Regional Sales Director - West Coast](https://feeny.ai/job/regional-sales-director-west-coast-ciq-remote-5meacybc13c3)