This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Staff Engineer, KernelCare based in South Africa.
This is a high-impact individual contributor role focused on building the next generation of automation and high-reliability systems for Linux security products. You will combine deep backend engineering expertise with technical product ownership across critical product components. The role is approximately 70% hands-on engineering and 30% technical product ownership, giving you significant influence over both technology and delivery. You will work across the full lifecycle, from discovery and architecture through implementation, production release, and ongoing optimization. AI-assisted development is an integral part of the engineering workflow, with a strong focus on improving automation and operational throughput. The ideal candidate is an autonomous technical leader who thrives on ambiguity, complex systems, and meaningful cybersecurity challenges.
Accountabilities
- Own major product components and engineering workstreams from initial discovery and planning through production delivery and continuous improvement.
- Partner directly with engineering, product, sales, and other stakeholders to gather, clarify, and translate business and technical requirements.
- Turn broad or ambiguous product objectives into clear technical plans, milestones, priorities, and actionable engineering tasks.
- Design scalable architectures and make technical decisions for high-impact product areas while balancing delivery requirements with long-term maintainability.
- Build, review, test, and maintain production-grade software components with a focus on reliability, security, performance, scalability, and extensibility.
- Take end-to-end responsibility for delivered components in production, including ongoing operation, troubleshooting, optimization, and evolution.
- Independently monitor progress and proactively communicate achievements, blockers, risks, dependencies, and changes in requirements.
- Research emerging technologies, engineering tools, market approaches, and competing solutions to inform technical and product decisions.
- Use AI-assisted development tools throughout planning, implementation, debugging, testing, refactoring, and code review to improve engineering efficiency.
- Contribute to engineering quality through design reviews, technical guidance, mentorship, documentation, and adoption of best practices.
Requirements
- Proven experience taking ownership of significant technical projects or workstreams from conception through production.
- Strong hands-on backend engineering experience with Python.
- Strong Linux background and practical understanding of Linux-based systems.
- Ability to read, understand, and review C code; hands-on C programming and debugging experience is a strong advantage.
- Strong system design and architectural skills, combined with the ability to implement solutions directly.
- Experience gathering and refining requirements and translating broad or unclear business needs into technical plans and deliverables.
- Demonstrated technical product ownership, with an understanding of how engineering decisions contribute to broader product and business objectives.
- Ability to work independently with limited day-to-day supervision and proactively drive complex initiatives forward.
- Excellent communication skills and confidence collaborating with engineering, product, sales, and other cross-functional stakeholders.
- Ability to clearly communicate technical decisions, project progress, risks, dependencies, and blockers.
- Regular experience using AI-assisted development tools as part of the software engineering workflow rather than solely for experimentation.
- Ability to balance immediate delivery needs with long-term scalability, maintainability, security, and extensibility.
- Experience developing Linux kernel patches or kernel modules is a plus.
- Deep knowledge of operating system internals is highly desirable.
Benefits
- Fully remote work with the flexibility to work from locations worldwide.
- Flexible working hours that allow you to structure your workday around your schedule.
- Strong focus on professional development and continuous learning.
- Challenging technical projects involving Linux, cybersecurity, automation, and high-reliability systems.
- 24 paid vacation days per year.
- 10 paid national holidays.
- Unlimited sick leave.
- Compensation toward private medical insurance.
- Co-working space reimbursement.
- Gym and sports reimbursement.
- Dedicated education and professional development budget.
- Opportunity to receive recognition and a reward for innovative ideas with potential patent value.
How Jobgether works:
We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team.
We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!
Data Privacy Notice: By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Jobgether will process your personal data to evaluate your candidacy and share relevant information with the hiring employer. This processing is based on legitimate interest and pre-contractual measures under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR). You may exercise your rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection) at any time.
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