Principal System Engineer

Compensation Pay Range:

The actual hourly rate will equal or exceed the required minimum wage applicable to the job location.  Additional compensation includes annual, quarterly performance, or premiums may be paid in amounts ranging per hour in specific circumstances. Premiums may be based on schedule, facility, season, or specific work performed. Multiple premiums may apply if applicable criteria are met.

A Linux Principal Systems Engineer is a senior-level infrastructure expert responsible for driving the modernization, automation, and reliability of Linux-based systems across enterprise environments. This role operates with a high degree of autonomy and technical leadership, shaping system architecture and driving end-to-end solutions that improve scalability, resiliency, and operational efficiency.

This role will play a key role in data center modernization initiatives and lead projects related to migration, automation of patching and VM provisioning, and consolidation of system observability and logging. They are expected to influence system strategy, mentor engineers, and embed operational best practices across environments.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Lead enterprise-wide data center modernization efforts with a focus on Linux platform architecture, automation, and operational excellence

• Design and implement solutions for automated VM provisioning, patch management, and secure system configuration

• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and DevOps teams to plan and execute system migrations across data centers and hybrid cloud environments

• Architect and deploy centralized log aggregation and observability tools to improve monitoring, alerting, and incident response

• Define and enforce standards for infrastructure automation to eliminate manual processes and reduce configuration drift

• Guide the development and implementation of observability automation using tools like Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack, or equivalent

• Mentor junior engineers and serve as a subject matter expert for Linux systems, scripting, and automation strategies

• Own system lifecycle management, including updates, deprecation planning, and security hardening

• Drive root cause analysis and long-term resolutions for complex production incidents

• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to prioritize technical debt remediation and platform scalability improvements

• Create and maintain detailed documentation for infrastructure architecture, configurations, and procedures

• Evaluate and introduce new tools, open-source technologies, and best practices to continuously evolve the platform

• Lead or contribute to technical design reviews and architecture discussions

SKILLS/EDUCATION/KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE/ABILITIES

Required:

• 8+ years of experience administering and engineering Linux-based systems in production environments

• Expert-level knowledge of RHEL, Ubuntu, or similar enterprise Linux distributions

• Proven experience with data center migrations, system replatforming, or large-scale infrastructure transformation

• Hands-on experience with patching automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Satellite, etc.)

• Strong scripting skills using Bash, Python, or similar languages

• Experience with VM provisioning automation tools (e.g., Terraform, Packer, VMware vSphere, or cloud-native equivalents)

• Deep understanding of logging systems and log aggregation pipelines (e.g., ELK stack, Fluentd, or Loki)

• Working knowledge of observability tooling including Prometheus, Grafana, and alerting frameworks

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and integration of monitoring and alerting into development workflows

• Strong communication skills and experience presenting technical solutions to leadership

Desired:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

• Experience in regulated environments (e.g., PCI, HIPAA, or SOX)

• Experience deploying to hybrid environments or public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Advanced certifications such as RHCE, LFCS, or equivalent

• Exposure to containerization platforms (Docker, Kubernetes) and associated observability techniques

• Proven leadership in cross-functional technical initiatives

O’Reilly Auto Parts has a proven track record of growth and stability. O’Reilly is full of successful career stories and believes in a strong promote-from-within philosophy, encouraging you to grow your career along with the organization. 

Total Compensation Package:

• Competitive Wages & Paid Time Off

• Stock Purchase Plan & 401k with Employer Contributions Starting Day One

• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance with Optional Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

• Team Member Health/Wellbeing Programs

• Tuition Educational Assistance Programs

• Opportunities for Career Growth

O’Reilly Auto Parts is an equal opportunity employer. The Company does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry (including immigration status or citizenship), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions,) age (40 and over), veteran status, uniformed service member status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing or characteristics) or another protected status as defined by local, state, or federal law, as applicable.

Qualified individuals with a disability may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or employment process, please send an email to: rar@oreillyauto.com or call 417-862-2674, ext. 68901, and provide your requested accommodation, and position details.