Principal Open Source Technologist

Position: Principal Open Source Technologist Location: Austin, TX (Remote)

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 the clients 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 the clients 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 the client and the open source community.
• Review and approve open source contributions from client 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

• Bachelors 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 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.