Job Description
Position: Principal Open Source Technologist
Location: Austin, TX (Onsite)
Type of Hire: Contract (w2)
About the Opportunity
The Principal Open Source Technologist is a senior technical leadership role focused on open source strategy, community engagement, and technical excellence in open source projects. This role drives client s open source initiatives, represents the company in open source communities, and ensures our contributions align with business objectives while advancing the open source ecosystem.
In your daily job you will:
- Open Source Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and execute client s open source strategy and roadmap
- Identify strategic open source projects and communities for engagement
- Drive technical vision for open source contributions and initiatives
- Represent the client in open source communities and working groups
- Influence open source project direction and technical decisions
- Build relationships with key open source maintainers and contributors
Technical Contributions
- Lead significant contributions to open source projects (Linux kernel, Yocto Project, etc.)
- Design and implement features that benefit both client and the open source community
- Review and approve open source contributions from client s engineers
- Ensure code quality and adherence to open source project standards
- Maintain upstream patches and ensure compatibility with upstream projects
- Drive upstream-first development practices
Community Engagement
- Actively participate in open source communities and mailing lists
- Present at open source conferences and events (Linux Plumbers, FOSDEM, etc.)
- Organize and lead open source community events and meetups
- Build and maintain relationships with open source community leaders
- Mentor engineers on open source contribution practices
- Foster a culture of open source contribution within the client
How You Will Contribute
Key skills and competencies for succeeding in this role are:
- Open Source Project Areas
- Linux Kernel
- Contribute to Linux kernel development and maintenance
- Address kernel features relevant to embedded systems
- Work on device drivers, subsystems, and core kernel functionality
- Ensure the client kernel patches are upstream-ready
- Yocto Project
- Lead contributions to Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded
- Drive features and improvements for embedded Linux builds
- Participate in Yocto Project technical steering
- Mentor Yocto Project contributors
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
- 12+ years of software engineering experience
- 8+ years of experience with embedded Linux or systems programming
- 5+ years of active open source contribution experience
- Proven track record of significant open source contributions
- Experience as a maintainer or core contributor to major open source projects
- Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ and systems programming
- Deep understanding of Linux kernel architecture and development
- Extensive experience with embedded systems and real-time systems
- Strong knowledge of open source development practices and tools
- Experience with Git and distributed version control
- Expertise in code review and open source contribution workflows
- Understanding of open source licensing and compliance
- Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis - without requirement for any type of visa sponsorship/transfer, now, or at any time in future. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.
- Must be a local resident of Greater Austin, TX , with ability to work on campus.
Leadership & Communication
- Exceptional technical communication skills
- Strong public speaking and presentation abilities
Preferred Qualifications
- Maintainer or core contributor status in major open source projects
- Extensive Yocto Project experience and leadership
- Significant Linux kernel contributions and recognition
- Experience in safety-critical industries (aerospace, automotive, medical)
- Knowledge of functional safety standards (ISO 26262, DO-178C, etc.)
- Open source project governance experience
- Industry recognition (awards, keynote speaking, etc.)
- Published technical papers or articles on open source topics
Key Performance Indicators
- Open source contribution quality and impact
- Community engagement and relationship building
- Strategic open source project participation
- Upstream contribution acceptance rate
- Conference presentations and speaking engagements
- Mentoring and development of open source contributors
- Open source strategy execution
- Industry recognition and thought leadership
For applications and inquiries, contact: hirings@openkyber.com
Job Tags
Permanent employment, Contract work, Local area, Visa sponsorship