Junior Linux System Engineer (BE-CEM-IN-2026-5-GRAE)

Employment Type: Full-time

The accelerator complex is managed by computers running Linux, currently CentOS7. However, it will soon transition to a custom Linux distribution developed at CERN, based on a vanilla Linux kernel and Debian.

This shift focuses on enhancing user experience and leveraging DevOps techniques to improve productivity, particularly in the way software is built, released, and deployed.

By adopting continuous integration (CI), automated testing, and deployment workflows, the goal is to reduce downtime, ensure faster delivery of updates, and maintain the stability of critical systems in a high-demand environment. This transition aims to improve system security, flexibility, and performance through a modular Linux setup, where new features and updates can be tailored to CERN's specific needs.

Your responsibilities:

• Design new workflows to optimise the Linux operating system usage in accelerator systems.
• Prepare and contribute to OS upgrades: kernel patches, builds, and updates to keep systems running stably.
• Package software and firmware for Debian, ensuring seamless integration and functionality in critical environments.
• Streamline development by working on CI pipelines, driving efficiency and automation.
• Development and maintenance of Linux device drivers, system libraries, and tools.

Your profile:

• Initial experience with basic administration of Linux systems.
• Initial experience configuring the Linux kernel, developing Linux device drivers or embedded systems.
• Interest in working with the make build system.
• Interest in DevOps, implementing Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) pipelines using GitLab/GitHub for development workflow.

Skills:

• GitLab CI.
• Uboot.
• dracut-ng.
• Linux kernel.
• Debian.
• GRUB.
• Bash, C & Python as Programming languages.
• Spoken and written English or French, with a commitment to learn the basics of the other language.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• By the application deadline, you have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Software Engineering and IT (or a related field) and your highest educational qualification is either a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
• Applicants without University degree are not eligible.
• Applicants with a PhD are not eligible.

Additional Information
Job closing date: 24.02.2026 at 23:59 CET.
Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.

Working hours: 40 hours per week

Job flexibility: Hybrid

Target start date: 01-April-2026

Job reference: BE-CEM-IN-2026-5-GRAE

Field of work: Software Engineering and IT

Benchmark job: 200020 - Computing Engineer

Global Benefits

• A monthly stipend between 5266-5793 Swiss Francs per month (tax free) depending on your degree.
• 30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks annual closure.
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health insurance scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Family, child and infant monthly allowances depending on your individual circumstances.
• A relocation package (installation grant and travel expenses) depending on your individual circumstances.
• Possibility to extend your contract up to 36 months.
• On-the-job and formal training including language classes.

Overview of CERN - Discover a world where the impossible is made possible!
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, we are pushing the frontiers of science and technology. Our groundbreaking work brings together not only physicists but also a diverse range of professionals from engineering, technical, scientific, and administrative fields. Together, we foster an environment where innovation and collaboration thrive.

Every day, we face exciting new challenges and opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge research that shapes our understanding of the universe. We meet these challenges through the diverse perspectives within our teams, ensuring every contribution is valued and driving our shared sense of inclusion and purpose. Diversity is a core value of CERN since its foundation, and it remains central to our mission and continued success.

If you are ready to be part of a dynamic, inclusive community pushing the boundaries of knowledge, CERN is the place where your curiosity and skills can thrive. Be part of our mission to uncover what lies at the heart of the universe! TAKE PART!
More information about us, here: careers.cern