Kernel Engineer - Hypervisor Admin

Job Overview

The Network and Virtualization Engineer is expected to lead the design, deployment, and ongoing optimization of robust network and virtualization infrastructures. This role is critical in ensuring high availability, performance, and security across all network layers and hypervisor environments directly supporting the scalability and resilience of core business operations.

Must Have Requirements

• Deep experience with Linux kernel development, KVM, and virtualization internals
• Strong programming skills in C, Python, and Go
• Experience with hypervisor integration formats (qcow2, vmdk, vhd, xva), cloud-init, and OS image management
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and open-source cloud stacks (OpenStack)
• Solid understanding of OSI model, networking protocols, SDN, firewalls, load balancers, and storage protocols(iSCSI, NFS)
• Exposure to DevOps, IaC, CI/CD pipelines, and agile toolchains like GitLab and Jira
• Working knowledge of clustering, HA, containers, and Kubernetes in a virtualization context
• A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a closely related technical field

Overall Skills Needed

• Hypervisor Engineering
• Kernel & OS Customization
• Virtualization Stack Expertise
• Networking Integration
• Performance Tuning & Debugging
• Platform Integration
• Security & Compliance
• Research & Innovation
• Documentation & Knowledge Sharing

Key Responsibilities & Outcomes

• Design, implement, and maintain the company's network and virtualization infrastructure
• Modify, patch, and extend the KVM hypervisor to enhance performance, security, isolation, or feature sets aligned with business and product needs
• Work with Linux kernel modules, OS package management tools (yum, apt, dnf, rpm, deb), and system boot processes to maintain a highly optimized virtual infrastructure
• Engineer solutions that span VM image formats (qcow2, vmdk, vhd, ovf, xva), cloud-init integration, and support for high availability and clustering in virtualized environments
• Design and implement advanced virtual networking capabilities using Open vSwitch, VXLAN, L2/L3 routing, and SDN tools. Collaborate with infrastructure teams to ensure seamless LAN/WAN/SAN interactions
• Analyze hypervisor and kernel-level behavior to troubleshoot complex system issues, apply performance patches, and optimize virtualization throughput and latency
• Ensure tight integration of KVM with containers, Kubernetes, and cloud orchestration platforms like OpenStack. Collaborate with DevOps teams using tools like GitLab, Jira, and IaC frameworks
• Harden the hypervisor and kernel environment, enforce system integrity, and build controls to comply with internal and external security standards
• Explore and implement emerging technologies including AIOps, MLOps, and hardware virtualization acceleration to advance the platform's capabilities
• Maintain detailed documentation of kernel modifications, system architecture changes, and testing strategies. Contribute to engineering best practices and mentor peers

Scale of Operations

Kernel engineers will have major exposure to Kernel, Python, C, Drivers, Hypervisor Engineering, Kernel & OS Customization, Virtualization Stack Expertise, Networking Integration, Design, implement, and maintain the company's network and virtualization infrastructure.