At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the evolution of virtualisation and storage platforms with hands-on execution.
- Company: Global alternative investment manager with a technology-driven focus.
- Benefits: Exceptional autonomy, competitive salary, and a culture that values innovation.
- Other info: Join a team of elite engineers and drive modernisation initiatives.
- Why this job: Make a strategic impact in a tech-first environment without bureaucratic constraints.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in Linux and virtualisation, with strong programming skills.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
A highly successful, technology-driven global alternative investment manager is seeking a world-class Principal Systems Engineer to join its core Systems group in either New York or London. In this senior individual contributor (IC) role, you will not simply maintain legacy infrastructure. You will own the strategic evolution, architectural design, and hands-on execution of our next-generation virtualisation and storage platforms. We are looking for a Linux-first systems expert who moves past the GUI to build, automate, and scale low-level virtualisation platforms. If you are frustrated by bureaucratic environments and want the autonomy to transition a mature production environment away from legacy hypervisors toward modern, open-source architectures, this role is built for you.
What You'll Do Day-to-Day
- Architect the Future State: Lead the technical exploration, proof-of-concept (PoC) engineering, and long-term strategy to evolve the firm’s core virtualisation fabric away from traditional vendors (evaluating alternatives such as KVM-based solutions, Proxmox, and Linux-native approaches).
- Hands-on Migration & Execution: Design and personally execute complex, low-risk virtualisation and storage migrations for high-performance production workloads.
- Systems Programming & Automation: Develop production-grade infrastructure tooling, APIs, and provisioning frameworks to maximise platform reliability, and operational scalability.
- Platform Optimisation: Own and maintain current production virtualisation clusters and enterprise software-defined storage solutions, ensuring peak performance, resource allocation, and kernel-level optimisation.
- Technical Leadership: Act as the ultimate subject matter expert for virtualisation across the global technology group, collaborating with cross-functional systems and engineering teams.
Who We Are Looking For
- Deep Linux & Virtualisation Expertise: At least 10 years of experience architecting, scaling, and troubleshooting large-scale production virtualisation environments. You possess deep technical empathy for the Linux kernel, namespaces, cgroups, and libvirt.
- Alternative Hypervisor Pioneers: Advanced, production-level expertise in KVM-based platforms, Proxmox, or native QEMU environments. You have a proven track record of migrating substantial enterprise workloads away from VMware/Hyper-V.
- Modern Storage Engineers: Deep familiarity with enterprise storage fabrics, SAN protocols, and at least one major software-defined storage (SDS) platform (e.g., Ceph, ZFS, LVM).
- Code-Driven Infrastructure Mindset: Strong, production-grade programming capability in Python or Go (alternatively, deep PowerShell and .NET expertise). You write software to manage hardware and view configuration management/orchestration as code.
- True Authors, Not Participants: You can point to massive modernisation initiatives where you were the primary architectural designer and implementation engineer, not just a participant or coordinator.
- Intellectual Honesty: Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with the confidence to ask hard questions, acknowledge technical gaps, and own large-scale, ambiguous initiatives from conception to delivery.
- Degree Preference: A Bachelor’s or advanced degree (Master's/PhD) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical/quantitative discipline is highly preferred.
Why Join Us?
- Pure Strategic Impact: This is a newly created, highly visible initiative with zero legacy people‑management overhead. You will have full ownership over the technical roadmap.
- Technology-First Culture: Work alongside elite engineers in an environment that values intellectual curiosity, rigorous engineering practices, and data‑driven decision‑making.
- Exceptional Autonomy: We strip away the red tape to let principal engineers focus entirely on solving complex, low-level technical challenges with the funding and resources required to succeed.
Principal System Engineer employer: Morgan McKinley
Join a leading technology-driven global alternative investment manager as a Principal Systems Engineer, where you will have the autonomy to drive strategic evolution and architectural design of next-generation virtualisation platforms. With a culture that prioritises intellectual curiosity and rigorous engineering practices, you will work alongside elite engineers in a dynamic environment that fosters exceptional growth opportunities and encourages innovative problem-solving. Enjoy the benefits of a newly created role with full ownership over the technical roadmap, free from bureaucratic constraints, allowing you to make a significant impact on the firm's technological future.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal System Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage in online forums. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects and contributions to open-source initiatives. This is a great way to demonstrate your expertise in Linux and virtualisation to potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your systems programming and automation skills. Practice coding challenges and be ready to discuss your past projects in detail, especially those where you led architectural design.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team. Tailor your application to highlight your experience with KVM-based solutions and modern storage technologies.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal System Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Expertise:When you're writing your application, make sure to highlight your deep Linux and virtualisation expertise. We want to see your experience with KVM-based platforms and any major software-defined storage solutions you've worked with. Don't hold back on showcasing those massive modernisation initiatives you’ve led!
Be Authentic:We value intellectual honesty, so be genuine in your application. If there are areas where you feel you could improve or learn more, mention them! It shows that you're self-aware and ready to tackle challenges head-on.
Tailor Your Application:Make sure your application speaks directly to the role. Use the job description as a guide to align your skills and experiences with what we’re looking for. This helps us see how you fit into our team and the impact you can make.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from us!
How to prepare for a job interview at Morgan McKinley
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Linux and virtualisation technologies. Brush up on KVM, Proxmox, and any software-defined storage platforms you’ve worked with. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience and how you've tackled complex migrations.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of how you've architected and executed modernisation initiatives. Highlight your role as the primary designer and implementation engineer, not just a participant. This will demonstrate your leadership and technical expertise.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Practice articulating your thoughts on technical challenges and solutions. Be honest about gaps in your knowledge and show your willingness to learn. Strong communication skills are key, especially when collaborating with cross-functional teams.
✨Emphasise Your Autonomy and Initiative
This role values independence, so be prepared to discuss how you've thrived in environments with minimal oversight. Share instances where you took the lead on projects and drove them to success, showcasing your ability to work autonomously.
