Senior Software Engineer, Backend - Advanced… at Red Hat · Illinois

Senior Software Engineer, Backend - Advanced Cluster Security (RHACS) Location: Remote US CA About the Job Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security (RHACS) Engineering builds industry-leading security solutions for OpenShift and Kubernetes environments. Our mission is to make OpenShift the most secure Kubernetes distribution by delivering end-to-end security capabilities across the entire software development lifecycle. We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer with deep expertise in backend systems and automation to join the RHACS team. In this role, you will act as a technical leader responsible for designing and delivering scalable, reliable, and secure software systems. You will champion a customer-first mindset, drive engineering excellence, and help define quality standards that ensure robust and production-ready systems at scale. What you’ll do Technical Leadership & Impact Lead the design and implementation of backend services and core system components within the RHACS platform. Build and evolve critical services, automation tooling, and Linux-based data collection systems with a strong focus on scalability, reliability, and performance. Influence architectural decisions and contribute to the long-term technical direction of the platform. Engineering Excellence & Quality Own the quality of your code and ensure systems are thoroughly tested, observable, and resilient. Champion a “design-first” engineering culture by driving design document practices and structured technical reviews. Build and improve automated testing frameworks for complex distributed systems. Innovation & Technical Strategy Proactively identify technical gaps, emerging risks, and future scalability challenges in Kubernetes security. Evaluate and introduce new technologies, frameworks, and languages that improve developer productivity and system robustness. Collaboration & Cross-functional Execution Partner closely with product managers, designers, and engineers to define and refine RHACS features. Collaborate across teams to ensure alignment on architecture, priorities, and delivery timelines. Customer Focus & Problem Solving Diagnose and resolve complex customer issues involving Kubernetes, Linux internals, and distributed systems. Provide deep technical insight and guidance to improve system reliability and customer experience. Mentorship & Team Growth Mentor engineers through code reviews, design feedback, and technical guidance. Foster a culture of continuous learning, accountability, and engineering excellence. What you’ll have Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Engineering, or related STEM field with 5+ years of software engineering experience, or Bachelor’s degree with 7+ years of relevant experience in backend systems, security, or distributed systems. Strong proficiency in backend development with experience in languages such as Go, C++, or similar. Proven experience designing and building scalable, high-performance distributed systems. Hands-on experience building RESTful and/or gRPC APIs in production environments. Strong understanding of Kubernetes, including deployment, operations, and security in production environments. Experience with infrastructure automation tools such as Terraform, Helm, or similar technologies. Familiarity with system-level debugging, Linux internals, or security-focused engineering is highly desirable. Strong advocate for automated testing, CI/CD, and high-quality engineering practices. Experience writing clear, structured technical design documents. Strong communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts clearly. Collaborative mindset with experience working across engineering, product, and design teams. Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-evolving technical environments. #LI-EK1 The salary range for this position is $142,370.00 - $234,770.00. Actual offer will be based on your qualifications. Pay Transparency Red Hat determines compensation based on several factors including but not limited to job location, experience, applicable skills and training, external market value, and internal pay equity. Annual salary is one component of Red Hat’s compensation package. This position may also be eligible for bonus, commission, and/or equity. For positions with Remote-US locations, the actual salary range for the position may differ based on location but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience. About Red Hat Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of enterpriseopen source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver high-performing Linux, cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Spread across 40+ countries, our associates work flexibly across work environments, from in-office, to office-flex, to fully remote, depending on the requirements of their role. Red Hatters are encouraged to bring their best ideas, no matter their title or tenure. We're a leader in open source because of our open and inclusive environment. We hire creative, passionate people ready to contribute their ideas, help solve complex problems, and make an impact. Benefits ●    Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage ●    Flexible Spending Account - healthcare and dependent care ●    Health Savings Account - high deductible medical plan ●    Retirement 401(k) with employer match ●    Paid time off and holidays ●    Paid parental leave plans for all new parents ●    Leave benefits including disability, paid family medical leave, and paid military leave ●    Additional benefits including employee stock purchase plan, family planning reimbursement, tuition reimbursement, transportation expense account, employee assistance program, and more! Note: These benefits are only applicable to full time, permanent associates at Red Hat located in the United States. Inclusion at Red Hat Red Hat’s culture is built on the open source principles of transparency, collaboration, and inclusion, where the best ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. When this is realized, it empowers people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to come together to share ideas, challenge the status quo, and drive innovation. Our aspiration is that everyone experiences this culture with equal opportunity and access, and that all voices are not only heard but also celebrated. We hope you will join our celebration, and we welcome and encourage applicants from all the beautiful dimensions that compose our global village. Equal Opportunity Policy (EEO) Red Hat is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We review applications for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, veteran status, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Red Hat does not seek or accept unsolicited resumes or CVs from recruitment agencies. We are not responsible for, and will not pay, any fees, commissions, or any other payment related to unsolicited resumes or CVs except as required in a written contract between Red Hat and the recruitment agency or party requesting payment of a fee. Red Hat supports individuals with disabilities and provides reasonable accommodations to job applicants. If you need assistance completing our online job application, email application-assistance@redhat.com. General inquiries, such as those regarding the status of a job application, will not receive a reply. Additional Locations: Remote US LA, Remote US WA, Remote US AZ, Remote US NY, Remote US IL, Remote US OH