If anyone is asking you for root access, please do not hire them for a project. Proper security controls should be put in place at all times unless extreme circumstances exist (new installs obviously require root access). I only use SSH keys to access servers, and ask that the audit daemon be enabled and sudo be set up for my work.
An experienced systems administrator with programming knowledge of PHP, Perl, Python, and MySQL. Specializing in the integration of open source platforms and business intelligence. Phillip Roberts has done large contracts for companies such as Nationwide Children's Hospital, IBM, Disney, Honeywell, and many other companies.