Systems Engineer

About Us

For our client, a leading company in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, we are seeking a systems thinker who understands how individual components interact to create a reliable and cohesive system. You are driven by curiosity and motivated to uncover the underlying mechanisms behind how things work. You approach complex challenges with a pragmatic, structured, and logical mindset, and you are capable of independently identifying root causes.

You are also a proactive contributor and strong communicator who takes initiative and can clearly explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Role Details

The role is based in Central Switzerland (Zug area) within the Pharmaceutical / Medical Technology sector. We are looking for someone who can start as soon as possible on an initial one‑year contract, with a strong likelihood of extension. The position offers an 80–100% workload, flexible working hours, and approximately 50% remote work.

Advanced English skills are required; German proficiency is considered an advantage.

• Start date: asap
• Latest Start Date: 01.06.26
• Planned duration: 12 months
• Extension (in case of limitation): very likely
• Workplace: Rotkreuz
• Workload: 80-100%
• Home Office: max. 50%
• Working hours: Standard
• Is a criminal record extract required: no

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Architect and Engineer our Core OS Platform: Take ownership of our custom Debian-based distribution. This includes everything from kernel customization and driver integration to the creation, maintenance, and optimization of Debian packages.
• Master the Build and Release Pipeline: Evolve and improve the infrastructure and processes used to build, test, and release our Linux distribution, ensuring reliability and reproducibility.
• Be the Ultimate Escalation Point: Act as the go-to expert for complex, low-level system issues. Perform deep-dive troubleshooting, debugging, and root-cause analysis across both software and hardware.
• Consult and Empower Development Teams: Guide internal project teams on how to best leverage the Roche Linux platform.
• Proactively Drive Improvement: Constantly seek out opportunities to enhance our distribution, tools, and processes. Whether it's improving system performance, strengthening security, or automating a complex workflow, you will be expected to identify needs and champion solutions.

Must Haves

• Deep, Hands-On Linux Mastery (10+ years): You are a seasoned professional who is comfortable across the entire Linux stack.
• Custom Distribution Engineering: Proven, extensive experience building, modifying, or maintaining a customized Linux distribution, with a strong preference for Debian (e.g., using tools like debootstrap, molior, aptly).
• Expertise in Debian Packaging: You don't just apt-get install. You can create, patch, and maintain .deb packages from scratch, understanding policy, dependencies, and best practices.
• Strong Scripting and Automation Skills: Fluency in Python and Shell scripting is essential for building tools and automating system tasks.
• Fundamental Systems Knowledge: A solid grasp of operating system theory (process management, memory, filesystems), software build systems (make, CMake), and the full testing and packaging lifecycle.
• Advanced English is mandatory; German is a welcome bonus.
• Please upload the degree certificate as well as the latest reference letter.
• CVs have to be uploaded in English.

Nice to Have

• Proficiency in a systems programming language like C or C++.
• Experience with embedded systems, the ARM platform, hardware drivers, and low-level hardware/software integration.
• Knowledge of modern infrastructure: Virtualization (KVM), Containers (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS).

Your Application

Please apply online. For further information about the position, please contact your Gi Group Consultant, Ms. Anh Nguyen (+41 76 586 02 13) or anh.nguyen@gigroup.com.

About Gi Life Sciences

Gi Life Sciences is part of Gi Group Holding, a global ecosystem for human resources services and consulting, supporting labor market development and helping to change people's lives in 37 countries around the world. In Switzerland, we operate under the brands Gi Life Sciences, Gi Group, Grafton, and Bautech Personal. We offer temporary and permanent staffing, as well as a wide range of complementary staffing services. With a direct presence at 40 locations in Switzerland and over 200 employees, we are one of the leading staffing companies in the Swiss recruitment market. Gi Life Sciences specializes in the recruitment of both temporary and permanent staff in the life sciences sector and is a valuable partner for many other staffing services. We believe that experts should speak to experts: All our professionals are certified in the scientific field, meaning they are able to understand your needs and provide you with comprehensive support.