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Javier Tia

Senior Systems Engineer - Linux Kernel · Embedded Linux · CI/CD

javier@jetm.me · github.com/jetm · jetm.github.io/blog · linkedin.com/in/javiertia · Costa Rica (Remote)

Summary

Senior Systems Engineer with 15+ years of production embedded software experience, specializing in upstream Linux kernel development, Yocto/OpenEmbedded, embedded security (UEFI Secure Boot, OP-TEE), and CI/CD infrastructure for hardware. Active upstream contributor with recent merges into mainline Linux (Bluetooth, libcamera) and active patch series under review on linux-wireless@, linux-firmware, and Yocto. Open to consulting engagements and full-time remote roles.

Technical Skills

Kernel & firmware: Linux kernel development, DKMS, U-Boot, UEFI/Secure Boot, OP-TEE, device drivers (WiFi/mac80211/cfg80211, Bluetooth/btusb/btmtk, PCIe, camera/libcamera)

Build systems: Yocto/OpenEmbedded, BitBake, kas, (meta-arm, meta-openembedded, meta-secure-core), Make, CMake, Meson, Autotools, repo tool

CI/CD & testing: LAVA, SQUAD, TuxSuite, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions

Languages: C, C++, Go, Python, Shell, Perl

Security: UEFI Secure Boot, measured boot, TPM, sbsign, EFI variable management (libefivar)

Backend: Django, REST APIs, shell automation

Wireless: mac80211, cfg80211, mt76 driver family, btusb/btmtk Bluetooth stack

Platforms: ARM/AArch64/ARMv8, x86-64, RISC-V, QEMU, Raspberry Pi, NXP i.MX, Qualcomm, MediaTek, Xilinx/AMD KV260, Synquacer

Embedded: BSP development, board bring-up, device tree (DTS/DTB), cross-compilation, UART/I2C/SPI, systemd, udev, initramfs

Experience

Open Source Engineer (Independent)

Mar 2026 – Present | Remote

After leaving Linaro, continuing upstream Linux kernel, libcamera, and Yocto/OE patches. Maintaining open-source tooling work and writing technical articles.

  • Built shipcheck tool, an EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) compliance auditor for embedded Linux and Yocto builds. It reads what a Yocto build emits - SBOMs, CVE scan output, signing artifacts, and license manifests - and produces a readiness score and multi-file CRA evidence dossier. Published on PyPI.
  • Maintained mediatek-mt7927-dkms and tracked the upstream WiFi 7 patch series.
  • Authored a libcamera follow-up patch series for OV2740 sensor tuning calibrated from Intel’s AIQB binary.
  • Published technical writing on Yocto build performance, CRA compliance, libcamera sensor calibration, and the experience of navigating a job search as a senior engineer.

Linaro - Senior Systems Engineer

Sep 2022 – Mar 2026 | Remote

Linaro is an open-source collaborative engineering organization focused on Arm-based hardware and software. Worked across upstream kernel enablement, embedded security, CI/CD infrastructure, and platform bring-up for ARM-based reference stacks used by Linaro member companies.

Upstream Kernel & Firmware

  • Authored 18-patch WiFi 7 series for MediaTek MT7927/MT6639 (Filogic 380) in the mt76/mt7925 driver (linux-wireless@, v4) - community-tested across 10+ hardware platforms with 9 Tested-by tags from ASUS, Lenovo, Foxconn, and AMD
  • Authored 8-patch Bluetooth series enabling MT6639 in btusb/btmtk; merged into mainline (April 2026); companion firmware submitted to linux-firmware
  • Authored 3-patch libcamera AGC/AWB fixes for Simple pipeline sensors with >8-bit output (libcamera-devel@) - merged May 2026; follow-up 2-patch series (OV2740 tuning file) in review
  • Maintained Linux kernel stable branches for ARM embedded targets (KV260, RockPi4, Synquacer, AVA, TI SK-AM62P-LP, NXP i.MX 8M, Raspberry Pi, genericarm64): CVE backports, stability patches, regular release cadence
  • Contributed upstream patches to u-boot/u-boot for ARM platform bring-up, Secure Boot chain configuration, and UEFI key management

Embedded Security

  • Designed and upstreamed complete UEFI Secure Boot implementation into meta-arm: U-Boot key enrollment, systemd-boot + kernel signing, sbsign BitBake class, OE-QA runtime test cases, GitLab CI - merged after 8 revision cycles (Oct 2024, reviewed by Jon Mason, ARM)
  • Authored OP-TEE/optee-client patches: udev-based tee-supplicant activation replacing static dependencies, resolving failures on multi-device /dev/teepriv* platforms (merged 2023)
  • Contributed to meta-ledge-secure Yocto security layer: Secure Boot integration, disk encryption, and EFI variable management

CI/CD Infrastructure

  • Built GPIT - end-to-end GitLab CI/CD for Yocto Trusted Substrate images with automated LAVA hardware testing, OEQA result parsing, two-pass log analysis, and email reporting across ARM targets (KV260, RockPi4, Synquacer, AVA, genericarm64) - 19 merged MRs
  • Built and maintained LAVA-based CI/CD for embedded Linux testing across ARM hardware (Synquacer, RockPi4, KV260, AVA): test plans, capsule update pipelines, image merging scripts, GitLab CI integration - 40+ merged MRs
  • Integrated ARM development boards into LAVA, SQUAD, and TuxSuite pipelines, increasing automated hardware test coverage and reducing manual validation cycles
  • Built SOAFEE test framework: container engine, k3s, Xen virtualization, OpenAD Kit, and Linux ABI compliance testing with TAP reporting and LAVA integration - 30+ merged MRs

Yocto/OpenEmbedded

  • Owned the Yocto/OE build system delivering all software and kernels for ARM-based embedded Linux products - Trusted Substrate and SOAFEE reference images across KV260, RockPi4, Synquacer, AVA, TI SK-AM62P-LP, NXP i.MX 8M, Raspberry Pi, and genericarm64 - managing layers across meta-openembedded, meta-arm, meta-secure-core, and meta-arm-bsp
  • Established reproducible BitBake configurations and sstate-cache strategies, reducing build failures across the team
  • Active patch reviewer and contributor across meta-openembedded, meta-arm, and meta-secure-core

Backend & Tooling

  • Contributed Django REST API features to ONELab (Linaro’s edge/IoT interoperability testing platform): automated GitLab CI deployment pipelines and shell tooling, reducing manual device onboarding effort
  • Integrated EFI variable tooling (rhboot/efivar) into embedded firmware stacks, enabling runtime EFI variable access from Linux user-space on ARM platforms

Hewlett Packard Enterprise / Aruba - Systems Engineer

Mar 2011 – Sep 2022 | Remote

11 years of production embedded software engineering on HPE/Aruba network switches running embedded Linux. Worked across the full firmware stack for high-availability enterprise networking hardware.

  • Participated in large-scale re-architecture effort to modularize and modernize HPE/Aruba switch firmware - production-grade embedded Linux across a fleet of enterprise networking devices
  • Developed and maintained embedded Linux BSPs for network switch platforms: kernel configuration, driver integration, board bring-up, and system-level testing
  • Worked on firmware build systems, CI integration, and release engineering for embedded switch software
  • Contributed to cross-functional efforts spanning kernel, user-space, and management plane components in a large, distributed engineering organization

Upstream Contributions

Selected upstream patches and 200+ merged PRs/MRs: jetm.github.io/blog/projects

Projects & Tooling

Full descriptions: jetm.github.io/blog/projects

Technical Writing

Linaro Engineering Blog

Personal Blog - jetm.github.io/blog