FreeBSD Userland Software Developer Full-time

Are you a versatile problem-solver with a knack for operating system development? Do you thrive working in an open-source development environment with a diverse team? If so, the FreeBSD Foundation is searching for a software developer with varied interests, skills, and a passion for perfecting the user experience on FreeBSD.

The FreeBSD Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and building the FreeBSD Project and community worldwide. We have been around for over 20 years, with our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, USA and board and staff located worldwide. The Foundation focuses on filling critical needs within the Project, including software development, advocacy, infrastructure support, project management and more. We partner with individual and corporate members of the FreeBSD community to ensure the continuing growth and stability of one of the oldest, largest, and most successful open-source operating systems.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will be diverse and may include:

• Participation in all aspects of the software development process, including code review, test design, debugging, performance evaluation, and documentation
• Coordination with other open-source collaborators, including FreeBSD community members and volunteers, and developers from different projects
• Supporting other team members in promoting project progress through event talks, blogs, press releases, videos, or other channels
• Developing, fixing, or enhancing any part of the operating system outside the kernel. Here are a few examples of some projects you could work on:
  • Refine pkgbase in preparation for FreeBSD 15.0
  • Fix any issues with the adoption of LLVM binutils in preparation for FreeBSD 15.0
  • Update and enhance the operating system installer
  • Create and maintain critical ports/packages
  • Submit fixes for critical third-party software to make it run well on FreeBSD. For example, you may write daemons required for desktop environments like Gnome, KDE, or Xfce.

Skills

• Strong C skills and extensive experience with the LLVM (preferred) or GCC toolchains
• At least three years of software development experience on Open Source operating systems (GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, or other BSD)
• Experience with open-source development practices
• Experience with debugging, performance profiling, and optimization
• Proficiency with scripting languages like Lua, POSIX shell, and Python
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with timely delivery for all work products and deliverables
• Self-directed and self-motivated, with the ability to manage tasks, time and schedule with limited supervision
• Ability to work collaboratively with members, developers, and team members
• University degree (or equivalent) in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field; in lieu of a degree, candidates with relevant experience and a proven track record in the field will also be considered
• Understanding of the value of continuous integration, continuous testing and related approaches
• A positive attitude and respect for other developers, especially when there are disagreements.