Linux Manager

Apiphani  is a technology-enabled managed services company dedicated to redefining what it means to support mission-critical enterprise workloads. We’re a small but rapidly growing company, which means there’s lots of room for growth and learning opportunities abound!  Apiphani  is dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment for all as a fundamental component of our business. Diversity and inclusion are the bedrock of creativity and innovation. Without diversity of experience and thought, we would fail to progress as a company and as a team.  Apiphani  strives to foster an environment of belonging, where every employee feels respected, valued, and empowered.  We embrace the unique experiences, perspective, and cultural background, which only  you  can bring to the table.   Linux Manager Position Summary: The Linux Manager is a senior technical leader responsible for the strategic direction and operational excellence of Linux service delivery across client ERP and mission-critical landscapes. This role drives architectural decisions, shapes service delivery standards, and leads a high-performing engineering team in a fast-paced managed services environment. In addition to technical oversight, the Linux Manager serves as a key stakeholder in client relationships, contributes to account growth strategies, and partners with senior leadership to align engineering capabilities with business objectives. The role reports to the Director of Application Support. Key Responsibilities: Lead, develop, and scale a team of 8+ Linux Engineers, setting clear performance expectations and fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement Provide strategic and day-to-day leadership across client environments, including systems performance management, capacity planning, and the delivery of proactive, value-added recommendations to clients Act as a senior 'player-coach,' setting technical direction and standards while stepping in on complex, high-priority engagements spanning performance optimization, patching, problem management, automation and scripting, data protection (backup & recovery), HA configurations, and major upgrades Own and continuously improve the incident, problem, and change management lifecycle; lead major incident reviews and root cause analyses and drive systemic corrective and preventive actions at program level Champion a culture of automation and operational efficiency — identifying opportunities for tooling, scripting, and process innovation that reduces toil and improves service quality at scale Build and develop engineering talent through structured coaching, mentoring, and career development planning; contribute to hiring decisions and team capability growth Build trusted relationships with clients, peer managers, and senior stakeholders; act as a credible technical authority and proactive partner in strategic planning Serve as the senior escalation point for production OS incidents, providing decisive technical leadership under pressure and clear communication to all stakeholders Partner closely with Client Success Management to identify emerging client needs, surface growth opportunities, and contribute to account strategy and expansion Collaborate with the Delivery Lead on capacity planning, scheduling, and resource allocation for client technical maintenance, upgrades, and project work Lead or participate in regular client technical reviews and executive briefings, providing strategic recommendations and improvement roadmaps Drive the creation and governance of comprehensive technical documentation, knowledge bases, and runbooks; ensure consistent standards across the team There will be occasional evening work and one or two monthly weekend work events, either during the day or overnight Lead ongoing review of workflows, SOPs, and operating practices, driving measurable improvements in efficiency and quality of service delivery Own delivery against defined projects and programs; provide regular status reporting to leadership and clients, proactively managing risks and dependencies Lead root cause analysis for complex, cross-functional incidents in collaboration with application and delivery teams, translating findings into lasting remediation Qualifications & Skills: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Engineering, Applied Sciences, or equivalent work experience 10+ years of experience in relevant hands-on systems engineering and administration in servers, networking, and operating systems; with heavy emphasis on Linux Server platforms and associated technologies 10+ years of experience as an Linux engineer or manager in a service provider or advanced IT organization operating in a 24x7 environment 3-5 years of management experience Demonstrated leadership of delivery teams serving regulated industries — specifically A&D, Utilities, Oil & Gas, Satellite, or federal/state/international government clients Solid understanding of IPv4 networking Solid understanding of RHEL CLI Comfort in cloud environments AWS and/or Azure including knowledge of how to manage virtual machines in the AWS or Azure environment Practical Knowledge of how to use ad-hoc as well as playbooks for ansible Solid understanding of how to manage users & groups Extensive experience in the use of the vi editor Extensive experience in the RHEL, Centos, or Alma/Rocky Linux environments Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ansible preferred Certifications from RedHat, SUSE are preferred Great interpersonal and communication skills in order to work with team members and other managers Ability to follow IT change management governance & process. Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, Deadline and detail-oriented, strong ownership bias Experience with configuration management and automation tools Familiarity with agile engineering practices (Kanban, continuous delivery, etc.)