Embedded Linux Consultant Engineer (Remote/Anywhere)

About the Role

Embedded Linux Software Developer with Open-Source exposure to join our team. Your main mission is providing consulting services to our customers in the areas of Embedded Linux (Bootloaders, Linux kernel, Linux Distros) through software development, integration, debug and testing for different types of products and customers.

Location: Fully remote
Travel: Optional conference attendance

What You’ll Actually Do

• Upstream & Community Participation : Contribute publicly to open source projects to ensure Collabora's continuing technical leadership

• Real-World Impact : Analyse client problems and design solutions leveraging open source technologies and Collabora's technical expertise

• Customer Collaboration : Define and scope client projects in collaboration with the delivery team

• Breadth When Needed : Gain working knowledge of customers’ products, applications, technical and business strengths and target markets

• Be a Technical Advisor : Discussing Linux core system technologies with clients and representing the company at conferences and trade shows to demonstrate and promote our leadership in the open source arena

• Deep Technical Work : Understanding client needs and reconciling time constraints, available technologies and resources, and open source best practices

What We’re Looking For

Required:

• Broad Linux experience (e.g. uBoot, Linux kernel and BSP, Embedded Linux Distros (e.g. Yocto, Debian))
• Knowledge of open source development methodologies and relevant open source communities
• Knowledge of ARM processors-based embedded systems
• Experience with System image creation tooling (e.g. debos, wic) and OTA technologies are essential
• Experience with Debian system creation specifically would be a big plus
• Experience in troubleshooting and resolving technical issues in a Linux-based environment
• Experience with software development for embedded linux systems
• Experience with modern CI tooling (github, gitlab)
• Good English language skills (both verbal and written)
• Ability to work and communicate in an online fully distributed environment

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with one or more of Collabora's market verticals
• Experience with the Rust programming language
• Experience with setting up secure/trusted boot chains
• Experience with creating A/B boot systems or other atomic upgrade schemes
• Experience with base hardware bringup of new ARM devices

What We Offer

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive benefits package tailored to each country, plus a core global benefit offering accessible to all Collaborans. Our core benefits include:

• Competitive salary based on experience and location
• Office setup budget to create your ideal remote workspace
• Sabbatical/Retention of Services – after five years of continuous service
• Co-working policy – support for working outside your home office
• Wellness assessments – biannual wellbeing assessments with a trained mental health specialist
• Conference attendance – we cover expenses and encourage speaking opportunities
• Open source time – contribute to projects you care about, with company support

Work Environment

• Fully remote – work where you’re most productive, with a global team across Europe, the Americas, and Asia

• No on-call rotations – this isn’t support work; focus on engineering and innovation

• Sustainable pace – we’re here for the long term, with no burnout culture

• Flexible hours – manage your own schedule and work when you’re at your best

Growth & Impact

• Upstream contributions – your work directly shapes GStreamer and the broader multimedia ecosystem, not just client products

• Technical leadership track – path to principal engineer, subsystem expertise, or technical architecture roles

• Consulting track – develop deeper client relationships, lead customer engagements, or shape service offerings

• Mentorship opportunities – both receiving and providing guidance within a collaborative team

• Conference speaking – we support presentation submissions and provide coaching to amplify your impact

• Recognition – your contributions are public, building your professional reputation in the open source community

Culture & Values

• Upstream first – we believe the best solutions benefit everyone, so we prioritise contributing back to the community

• Transparency – open discussion about technical decisions, business constraints, and project challenges

• Pragmatism – perfect is the enemy of good; we ship quality code that solves real problems

• Respect for expertise – we trust engineers to make technical decisions and own their work

• Collaborative – we succeed by working together, internally and with the open source community

• Sustainable pace – we’re here for the marathon, not the sprint

Our Interview Process

We respect your time and provide a clear, structured process:

1. Application Review (within 2 weeks) – we evaluate your code, contributions, and experience

2. Initial Chat (30 to 60 minutes) – a casual conversation about your background and our work

3. Technical Interview (1–2 hours)

4. Technical Deep-Dive – discuss Embedded Linux architecture, debugging challenges, and problem-solving approaches (no whiteboard coding)

5. Code Review Session – review real patches or contributions together, discussing trade-offs and design decisions

6. Client Scenario Discussion – tackle a realistic customer situation, balancing technical debt, timelines, and upstream goals (we want to see your thought process)

7. Chief Operating Officer (60 min) – meet the COO to discuss day-to-day work, company culture, and compensation

8. Offer (within 1 week of final interview)

Total timeline: 3–4 weeks from application to offer

We provide feedback at every stage, and you’ll always know where you stand.

Collabora’s Commitment

We’re committed to building a diverse team and inclusive environment. We encourage applications from people underrepresented in tech.

We evaluate candidates based on skills, contributions, and potential—not pedigree. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, apply anyway —imposter syndrome is real, and you might be exactly who we’re looking for.

If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.