Principal Linux Kernel Developer

Principal Linux Kernel Developer

This role has been designed as 'Hybrid' with an expectation that you will work on average 2 days per week from an HPE office.

Who We Are:

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is the global edge-to-cloud company advancing the way people live and work. We help companies connect, protect, analyze, and act on their data and applications wherever they live, from edge to cloud, so they can turn insights into outcomes at the speed required to thrive in today's complex world. Our culture thrives on finding new and better ways to accelerate what's next.

We know varied backgrounds are valued and succeed here. We have the flexibility to manage our work and personal needs. We make bold moves, together, and are a force for good. If you are looking to stretch and grow your career our culture will embrace you. Open up opportunities with HPE.

Job Description:

• Lead architecture and design of Linux kernel components including file systems, memory management, networking, and I/O subsystems.
• Drive performance optimization, scalability improvements, and reliability across the storage stack.
• Debug and resolve complex kernel-level issues including system crashes, memory corruption, and performance bottlenecks.
• Provide technical leadership through design reviews, mentoring, and establishing engineering best practices.
• Collaborate across storage, networking, firmware, and hardware teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Engage with upstream open-source communities (e.g., Linux kernel, Lustre) and contribute patches and reviews.
• Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of critical customer issues and escalations.
• Define and influence long-term architectural direction for HPE storage platforms.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 8–12+ years of experience in systems or kernel-level software development.
• Expert-level proficiency in C programming.
• Deep expertise in Linux kernel internals (e.g., memory management, file systems, networking, block I/O).
• Strong experience debugging kernel using tools such as crash, perf, ftrace, and trace points.
• Experience with distributed systems or storage platforms.
• Proven technical leadership and ability to influence architecture and cross-functional teams.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills within global engineering organizations.

• Experience with distributed storage systems such as Lustre, Ceph, or DAOS.
• Experience contributing to upstream Linux kernel or open-source projects.
• Knowledge of HPC environments and high-performance computing architectures.
• Familiarity with RDMA, Infini Band, or high-speed interconnects.
• Experience with CI/CD, testing automation, and performance benchmarking.
• Experience handling customer escalations and production system issues.

What We Can Offer You:

Health & Wellbeing

We strive to provide our team members and their loved ones with a comprehensive suite of benefits that supports their physical, financial and emotional wellbeing.

Personal & Professional Development

We also invest in your career because the better you are, the better we all are. We have specific programs catered to helping you reach any career goals you have — whether you want to become a knowledge expert in your field or apply your skills to another division.

Unconditional Inclusion

We are unconditionally inclusive in the way we work and celebrate individual uniqueness. We know varied backgrounds are valued and succeed here. We have the flexibility to manage our work and personal needs. We make bold moves, together, and are a force for good.

The expected salary/wage range for this position is provided below. Actual offer may vary from this range based upon geographic location, work experience, education/training, and/or skill level. – United States of America:
Annual Salary USD 160, in Colorado // 152, in Minnesota The listed salary range reflects base salary. Variable incentives may also be offered.

Information about employee benefits offered in the US can be found at

The estimated job application period closure is August 28 2026; this timeline is provided for…