Apptad- Linux Engineer

Job Title: Linux Engineer

Location: Princeton NJ

Mode : Contract (6 Months) Onsite

Job Description:

Principal Linux Engineer with expertise in designing building and maintaining comprehensive Linux engineering and management systems. Provide escalation support to remote site technicians for configuring and troubleshooting Linux devices. Collaborate with Cybersecurity networking and device administration teams throughout device lifecycle.

Location : Based at the NJ site (Princeton area) to enhance collaboration with stakeholder service delivery teams and ensure accessibility across all time zones where laboratory Linux devices are used. Ensure availability during core business hours for East Coast EMEA (afternoon) and West Coast (morning) to support local IT Site Services teams in coordinating with vendors and business clients.

Scope:

• Approximately 400 Linux devices are currently supported by the local support teams primarily in laboratories with anticipated growth of 20% over the next 18-24 months.
• There may be additional devices within the environment that are unknown the discovery of such will be a part of this role.
• Mix of computers and IoT devices supplied by 3rd party vendors.
• Numerous Linux Operating Systems and versions in use throughout the environment.
• Phased approach to discover assess and develop solutions while documenting best practices and work instructions for local support teams to leverage.
• Identify and isolate devices that cant be fully managed (e.g. IoT appliances on segmented VLAN or similar) in partnership with network and security teams.

Technical Criteria:

• Expertise with multiple various Linux distributions including but not limited to: CentOS RedHat and Ubuntu.
• Experience implementing centralized device management with new or existing management tools - most likely Symantec Altiris.
• Strong background and knowledge of networking and security principles in an enterprise environment.
• Advanced Scripting and Automation Skills:
  • Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python Bash or Perl for automation tasks.
  • Experience with automation tools like Puppet Chef or Terraform in addition to Ansible.
• Cloud Computing Experience:
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS Azure or Google Cloud.
  • Experience with cloud-native tools and services including container orchestration (e.g. Kubernetes).

• Virtualization and Containerization:
  • Expertise in virtualization technologies like VMware KVM or Hyper-V.
  • Deep understanding of containerization technologies including Docker and Kubernetes.
• Performance Tuning and Optimization:
  • Experience in performance tuning and optimization of Linux systems.
  • Knowledge of monitoring tools like Nagios Prometheus or Grafana.
• Disaster Recovery and High Availability:
  • Experience in designing and implementing disaster recovery and high availability solutions for Linux environments.

Responsibilities:

• Perform regular application and distribution patching and updates (scheduled and ad-hoc).
• Assist with identifying specifications for new hardware device models.
• ServiceNow CMDB configuration item entry ownership and management for device and infrastructure lifecycles with automation where possible.
• Support ad-hoc and regular Security reviews to evaluate alignment to standards.
• Create documentation for administration including support work instructions knowledge articles for support and end-user reference materials.
• Communication training and resourcing with T1/T2 technicians as needed.
• Support ServiceNow queue management and JIRA project board AGILE framework methodology.
• Develop strategy for user account management with domain-level security.
• Create and maintain data workflow enablement with various storage options.
• Perform device offboarding and removal of proprietary data to Security standards.
• Provide consistent device uptime reporting and monitor outages for high availability maintaining reliability and consistency of Linux system performance.
• Security Compliance and Auditing:
  • Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations (e.g. GDPR HIPAA).
  • Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement:
  • Stay updated with the latest industry trends and technologies.
  • Propose and implement innovative solutions to improve system performance and reliability.
• Vendor Management:
  • Manage relationships with third-party vendors and service providers.
  • Evaluate and recommend new tools and technologies to enhance the Linux environment.

Additional Soft Skills and Experience:

• Project Management:
  • Experience in leading and managing complex IT projects.
  • Familiarity with project management tools and methodologies such as Agile Scrum or Kanban.
• Communication and Collaboration:
  • Strong communication skills to effectively interact with stakeholders including non-technical teams.
  • Proven ability to work collaboratively in a matrixed team environment.
• Problem-Solving and Analytical Skills:
  • Strong problem-solving skills to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues.
  • Analytical mindset to assess and improve existing systems and processes.
• Documentation and Knowledge Sharing:
  • Experience in creating detailed technical documentation and knowledge base articles.
  • Ability to train and mentor junior team members and local support technicians.
  • Provide technical guidance to external vendors to assist in onboarding 3rd party systems and devices to network in alignment with established best practices.