diff --git a/bindings/sysman/python/source/pyzes.py b/bindings/sysman/python/source/pyzes.py
index 5ba6bfaf..c0c5766d 100644
--- a/bindings/sysman/python/source/pyzes.py
+++ b/bindings/sysman/python/source/pyzes.py
@@ -69,7 +69,36 @@ def _LoadZeLibrary():
         # load the library
         libName = "ze_loader"
         if sys.platform.startswith("linux"):
-            libName = "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lib" + libName + ".so.1"
+            soName = "lib" + libName + ".so.1"
+            # Try the bare soname first so the dynamic linker resolves it via
+            # the standard search path (LD_LIBRARY_PATH, ld.so.cache, RUNPATH).
+            # This works on every Linux distro. The explicit paths are kept as
+            # fallbacks: the Debian/Ubuntu multiarch location and the
+            # RHEL/SUSE/Fedora lib64 location. Hardcoding only the Debian path
+            # broke on non-Debian systems (e.g. HPC RHEL/SLES images), where
+            # the loader lives in /usr/lib64.
+            possible_paths = [
+                soName,
+                "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/" + soName,
+                "/usr/lib64/" + soName,
+                "/usr/lib/" + soName,
+            ]
+
+            library_loaded = False
+            load_errors = []
+            for path in possible_paths:
+                try:
+                    gpuLib = CDLL(path)
+                    library_loaded = True
+                    break
+                except OSError as error:
+                    load_errors.append(f"{path}: {error}")
+
+            if not library_loaded:
+                raise Exception(
+                    "Failed to load Level Zero loader on Linux. "
+                    f"Tried paths: {possible_paths}. Errors: {load_errors}"
+                )
         else:
             libName = libName + ".dll"
 
@@ -107,9 +136,6 @@ def _LoadZeLibrary():
                     f"Tried paths: {possible_paths}. Errors: {load_errors}"
                 )
 
-        if sys.platform.startswith("linux"):
-            gpuLib = CDLL(libName)
-
         if gpuLib is None:
             raise Exception("Failed to load library: " + str(libName))
     finally: