Linux Platform Engineer (Bare-Metal / Pre?Production Systems)
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
About the role: This role sits at the intersection of Linux systems engineering, hardware platforms, and data center environments. You will work directly with physical systems (bare metal)-installing, validating, debugging, and ensuring systems are fully operational before they are used for development and testing. This is not a traditional production IT or cloud role. Systems in this environment require engineers who can troubleshoot deeply and think at the system level. What You'll Do Platform & System Ownership
- Install, configure, and maintain Linux operating systems on bare-metal servers
- Own systems from initial bring-up through validation and steady-state readiness
- Support infrastructure used for development, testing, and validation workflows
System & Hardware Troubleshooting Diagnose issues across:
- Hardware (servers, components, interconnects)
- Operating systems (Linux internals, boot, drivers, services)
- Firmware and system-level dependencies
- Networking and connectivity
Identify root cause and clearly communicate resolution steps to supporting teams Pre-Production & Lab Environments
- Work in lab or data center environments supporting non-production systems
- Ensure systems are stable, functional, and test-ready for engineering use
- Validate new hardware and configurations before wider release
Automation & Process Improvement Build or use scripts and tooling (e.g., Bash, Python, Ansible) to:
- Automate system provisioning and validation
- Reduce manual processes
- Improve reliability and consistency of system bring-up
Requirements
- Strong Linux systems experience, including:
- OS installation on bare metal
- Command-line troubleshooting and log analysis
- Hands-on experience with physical servers and hardware troubleshooting
- Experience in lab, data center, or large-scale on-prem environments
- Understanding of how hardware, OS, firmware, and networking interact
- Experience diagnosing and resolving system-level issues (not just monitoring or escalation)
- Ability to clearly communicate technical findings and guide others through resolution
- On-site availability (5 days/week)
Benefits & conditions
This is a Contract position based out of Santa Clara, CA. Pay and Benefits The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $60.00/hr. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)