Linux Security Patching & Hardening Specialist (RHEL/CentOS — Large Compute Environment)

Description: We are looking for an experienced Linux engineer to lead security patch management and OS hardening across a large enterprise Linux estate. Scope of work Assess current patch levels and identify vulnerabilities/gaps across the Linux server fleet Plan and execute security patching cycles with minimal disruption to production workloads Harden servers against CIS Benchmarks / DISA STIG baselines Configure and tune SELinux/AppArmor, firewalld/iptables, SSH, auditd, and access controls Automate patch and compliance workflows (Ansible, Satellite/Spacewalk, or equivalent) Remediate findings from vulnerability scanners (Nessus, Qualys, OpenSCAP) Produce hardening standards, runbooks, and compliance evidence/reporting Required experience 7+ years administering enterprise Linux (RHEL, CentOS, Rocky, SUSE, Ubuntu Server) Proven track record of security patching and hardening in large-scale, high-availability environments Strong hands-on with CIS Benchmarks and vulnerability remediation Automation skills: Ansible, Bash, Python Experience working in environments with strict change control and uptime requirements Nice to have Exposure to HPC or engineering compute clusters (LSF, Slurm, NFS-heavy workloads) Certifications: RHCE, RHCSA, CompTIA Linux+, CISSP Experience with regulated or IP-sensitive environments