Job description
Senior OS Engineer — Linux Security & Container Supply Chain
About the Role
RapidFort is looking for a deeply technical Senior OS Engineer to design, build, and maintain secure Linux-based operating system components that power hardened container images and cloud-native workloads.
This role sits at the intersection of Linux systems engineering, package management, and software supply chain security. You will be responsible for identifying vulnerabilities in OS packages, validating fixes, rebuilding or patching components, and ensuring secure, production-grade container images are delivered at scale.
You will work across multiple Linux distributions to curate, harden, and continuously improve the operating system layers used in containerized environments. This includes package-level remediation, dependency resolution, and automation of secure build pipelines.
This is a hands-on engineering role focused on Linux internals, OS packaging, and container image security — not just vulnerability scanning or policy enforcement.
What You’ll Do
OS & Package Security Engineering
Own end-to-end CVE remediation across Linux OS packages and system libraries
Analyze vulnerabilities affecting core OS components (glibc, openssl, kernel modules, runtime libraries, etc.)
Validate upstream fixes and determine patching or backporting strategies
Rebuild, patch, and curate OS packages across multiple Linux distributions (Debian, RHEL, Alpine, etc.)
Container Image Hardening
Build and maintain secure, minimal, production-ready container images
Remove unnecessary packages and reduce image attack surface
Ensure OS-level changes propagate safely into container environments
Validate image integrity, compatibility, and runtime stability
Supply Chain Security
Generate and maintain SBOMs for OS packages and container images
Implement provenance, signing, and artifact trust mechanisms
Ensure reproducible and verifiable builds across OS components
Strengthen software supply chain security across all image pipelines
Automation & Build Systems
Design and scale automated pipelines for OS patching, package rebuilding, and image generation
Integrate CVE scanning, remediation, and validation into CI/CD workflows
Build tooling for OS-level dependency tracking and vulnerability analysis
Improve build efficiency, reliability, and reproducibility
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with platform, DevOps, infrastructure, and security teams
Work closely with engineering teams to integrate secure OS layers into product pipelines
Support production environments with stable, secure OS baselines
What You Bring
Core Experience
5+ years in Linux systems engineering, OS engineering, platform engineering, DevSecOps, or release engineering
Deep expertise in Linux operating systems and distributions (Debian, RHEL, Ubuntu, Alpine)
Strong experience with OS package management systems (apt, rpm, dnf, apk)
Hands-on experience patching, rebuilding, or maintaining OS packages
Technical Depth
Strong understanding of Linux internals (processes, memory, filesystem, system libraries)
Experience working with system-level libraries and dependencies (glibc, openssl, etc.)
Deep knowledge of dependency resolution, ABI compatibility, and package lifecycle management
Experience with container internals and Linux runtime behavior
Security & Supply Chain
Experience remediating CVEs in OS packages and container environments
Understanding of SBOMs, software provenance, signing, and artifact trust models
Familiarity with supply chain security frameworks (e.g., SLSA, reproducible builds)
Engineering Skills
Strong scripting/programming ability in Python, Bash, Go, or C/C++
Experience building CI/CD pipelines for OS or system-level build processes
Strong debugging skills across Linux systems and build environments
Nice to Have
Experience contributing to or maintaining Linux distributions or open-source OS projects
Experience building minimal, distroless, or hardened container images
Familiarity with package build infrastructure (Koji, OBS, Launchpad, mock, etc.)
Experience with kernel hardening or low-level OS security modules
Knowledge of large-scale container security platforms
Contributions to open-source security, Linux, or container ecosystems
What Success Looks Like
Rapid and reliable remediation of OS-level CVEs across supported distributions
Stable and secure base images with minimal attack surface
Automated, repeatable OS patching and build pipelines
High-confidence SBOMs and supply chain transparency across all artifacts
Significant reduction in vulnerability exposure across container environments
Robust, reproducible OS build and packaging systems
Why This Role Matters
This role is foundational to RapidFort’s mission of eliminating vulnerabilities in containerized environments. Every secure container image begins with a secure OS layer, and this role ensures that foundation is trusted, minimal, and continuously hardened.
Compensation & Benefits
This Senior OS Engineer role offers a base salary range of $150,000 – $200,000, depending on experience and technical depth. In addition to base compensation, RapidFort provides a competitive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, and equity participation. Total compensation is designed to reflect the critical nature of this role in securing Linux-based systems, container images, and software supply chain infrastructure at scale.
Originally posted on Himalayas
Who can apply
The source lists worldwide eligibility. Accepted UTC offsets: UTC-11, UTC-10, UTC-9.5, UTC-9, UTC-8, UTC-7, UTC-6, UTC-5, UTC-4, UTC-3.5, UTC-3, UTC-2, UTC-1, UTC+0, UTC+1, UTC+2, UTC+3, UTC+3.5, UTC+4, UTC+4.5, UTC+5, UTC+5.5, UTC+5.75, UTC+6, UTC+6.5, UTC+7, UTC+8, UTC+8.75, UTC+9, UTC+9.5, UTC+10, UTC+10.5, UTC+11, UTC+12, UTC+12.75, UTC+13, UTC+14. Review the full description for employer-specific work authorization, residency and schedule requirements.