Founded in 1910, KONE is a global leader that provides elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as solutions for maintenance and modernization that add value to buildings throughout their life cycle. Our mission is to improve the flow of urban life and make our world’s cities better places to live by providing innovative solutions that help make people’s journeys safe, convenient and reliable. Our operations in over 60 countries around the world has helped us achieve our position as an innovation and sustainability leader with repeated recognitions by Forbes, Corporate Knights for clean capitalism and others.  

KONE’s vision is to create the Best People Flow experience by providing ease, effectiveness and experience to our customers and users. In line with our strategy, Sustainable Success with Customers, we will focus on increasing the value we create for customers with new intelligent solutions and embed sustainability even deeper across all of our operations. By closer collaboration with customers and partners, KONE will increase the speed of bringing new services and solutions to the market.

KONE Technology and Innovation Unit (KTI) is where we combine the physical world – escalators and elevators – with smart and connected digital systems. We are changing and improving the way billions of people move within buildings every day. We are on a mission to expand and develop new digital solutions that are based on emerging technologies.

KONE IT is a global team of expert professionals working along with business functions and area teams to develop new capabilities and enable new business opportunities. We are trusted partners of KONE business lines and functions to develop, transform, manage and run their information technology solutions. We support KONE in its digital transformation journey by introducing e.g. digital cloud-based IT services, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to support productivity, business growth and technological disruption. ​​​​​​​Sustainability, curious mindset and innovation are at the core of everything we do, and this makes us an integral part of KONE’s success

Design, maintain and/or analyze KONE information systems that are appropriate for users' and business’ needs. These systems should be consistent with the overall design of the organization's information systems architecture. Owns the Solution configuration within his/her area of responsibility.

Key accountabilities and responsibilities:  Kone is seeking a Technology Design Expert / Specialist with a primary focus on Linux workstation management. This role will take ownership of the design, implementation, and central management of Linux environments across the organization, catering specifically to the unique needs of our R&D teams. The candidate will work closely with stakeholders to understand R&D requirements and deliver solutions that standardize, secure, and optimize Linux workstations. Additionally, the role will support macOS devices and ensure that devices are up-to-date and secure.

Responsibilities and key activities
 

• Primary Focus – Linux Management: Take charge of the central management of Linux workstations, ensuring compliance with security standards and performance optimization. Tailor solutions to the needs of Kone’s R&D teams, ensuring these workstations meet the specific requirements for development, testing, and research activities.
• R&D Collaboration: Work directly with R&D stakeholders to gather requirements, understand workflows, and design Linux workstation environments that enhance productivity and meet technical specifications. Provide solutions that align with both operational security and research flexibility.
• Cross-Platform Support: In addition to Linux, provide support for Apple Mac workstations, implementing best practices for security and performance across both platforms.
• Standardization & Security: Develop and implement standardized configurations, security protocols, and best practices for Linux and macOS environments. Ensure that these workstations are secure, consistent, and aligned with organizational policies.
• Centralized Linux Management: Design and deploy centralized tools for managing Linux systems (e.g., Puppet, Ansible, or similar), allowing for streamlined patching, software deployment, monitoring, and configuration management.
• Manufacturing Floor Device Management: Collaborate with supply chain and operations teams to ensure that manufacturing floor devices remain secure, updated, and function in compliance with Kone’s operational standards. Implement segregation strategies where necessary to minimize risks to production-critical systems.
• Automation & Efficiency: Leverage automation tools to ensure the smooth deployment, monitoring, and management of Linux and macOS workstations. Ensure that these processes are efficient, scalable, and reduce manual intervention.
• Lifecycle Management: Manage the full lifecycle of Linux and macOS workstations, including patch management, software updates, and troubleshooting, with a special focus on research and development needs.
• Incident Management: Act as a point of escalation for Linux and macOS workstation issues, providing timely resolutions with minimal impact on business or R&D operations.

Technical Skills

• Expert knowledge of Linux distributions (e.g., Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL) and experience with Linux workstation deployment and automation.
• Strong proficiency in scripting and configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Bash, Python).
• Experience with security best practices for Linux workstations.
• Familiarity with mobile device management (MDM) solutions for Mac devices
• Familiarity with tools for endpoint management and configuration (e.g., Satellite, Puppet, Chef).

Key Competencies:

R&D Focus: Ability to understand and anticipate the needs of the R&D environment, providing flexible yet secure Linux solutions that enhance productivity.

Linux Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in managing Linux workstations, particularly in environments where research, security, and performance are critical.

Centralized Management: Proven track record of designing and implementing centralized management solutions for Linux systems to ensure consistency, security, and ease of administration.

Experience:

6 to 10+ years of hands-on experience with Linux workstation management in a corporate or R&D setting.

Proven experience in designing centralized management solutions for Linux environments.

Familiarity with R&D workflows and a track record of delivering tailored Linux solutions for research and development purposes.

Experience with macOS and workstation lifecycle management.

Explore More

At KONE, we are focused on creating an innovative and collaborative working culture where we value the contribution of each individual. Employee engagement is a key focus area for us and we encourage participation and the sharing of information and ideas. Sustainability is an integral part of our culture and the daily practice. We follow ethical business practices and we seek to develop a culture of working together where co-workers trust and respect each other and good performance is recognized. In being a great place to work, we are proud to offer a range of experiences and opportunities that will help you to achieve your career and personal goals and enable you to live a healthy and balanced life.

Read more on https://careers.kone.com/en/