diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-kokkos.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-kokkos.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..adcbd2a49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-kokkos.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+name: github-Linux-kokkos
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [ opened, reopened, synchronize ]
+    branches: [main, develop]
+    paths-ignore:
+    - 'logos/**'
+    - 'helper_scripts/**'
+    - 'docker_scripts/**'
+    - 'docs/**'
+    - '**/*.md'
+  push: # for direct quick fixes
+    branches:
+      - 'main'
+      - 'develop'
+    paths-ignore:
+    - 'logos/**'
+    - 'helper_scripts/**'
+    - 'docker_scripts/**'
+    - 'docs/**'
+    - '**/*.md'
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.event_name }}-${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: ${{github.event_name == 'pull_request'}}
+
+jobs:
+  CI-kokkos:
+    name: Kokkos
+    continue-on-error: false
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        image:
+          - ubuntu-gnu-kokkos-cpu-serial-11
+          - ubuntu-gnu-kokkos-cpu-openmp-11
+        build_type:
+          - Release
+          - Debug
+
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    container:
+      image: ghcr.io/pressio/${{ matrix.image }}
+      credentials:
+        username: ${{ github.actor }}
+        password: ${{ secrets.github_token }}
+    env:
+      num_cpus: 4
+      PRESSIO_INSTALL_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/pressio_install
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Checkout pressio examples
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          repository: Pressio/pressio-templates-usage-as-library
+          path: examples
+          ref: add-compatibility-with-pressio-ops
+
+      - name: Checkout pressio-ops
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          repository: Pressio/pressio-ops
+          path: pressio-ops
+          ref: develop
+
+      - name: Configure
+        run: |
+          cmake -B builddir \
+            -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:STRING=${{ matrix.build_type }} \
+            -D CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE:BOOL=ON \
+            -D CMAKE_C_COMPILER:FILEPATH=$CC \
+            -D CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER:FILEPATH=$CXX \
+            -D PRESSIO_ENABLE_TESTS:BOOL=ON \
+            -D PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_EIGEN:BOOL=OFF \
+            -D PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_MPI:BOOL=OFF \
+            -D PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_KOKKOS:BOOL=ON \
+            -D Kokkos_ROOT=/kokkos/install \
+            -D KokkosKernels_ROOT=/kokkos-kernels/install \
+            -D PRESSIO_ENABLE_DEBUG_PRINT=ON \
+            -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=${PRESSIO_INSTALL_DIR} \
+            -D CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS='-Wall -Werror'
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: cmake --build builddir -j $num_cpus --target install
+
+      - name: Example - include only
+        working-directory: examples
+        run: |
+          $CXX \
+            --std=c++17 \
+            -DPRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_KOKKOS \
+            -I/kokkos/install/include \
+            -I/kokkos-kernels/install/include \
+            -I${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/pressio-ops/include \
+            -I${PRESSIO_INSTALL_DIR}/include \
+            -c main.cpp
+
+      - name: Example - include only with embedded definitions
+        working-directory: examples
+        run: |
+          $CXX \
+            --std=c++17 \
+            -DPRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_KOKKOS \
+            -I/kokkos/install/include \
+            -I/kokkos-kernels/install/include \
+            -I${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/pressio-ops/include \
+            -I${PRESSIO_INSTALL_DIR}/include \
+            -c main_with_defines.cpp
+
+      - name: Test
+        working-directory: builddir
+        run: |
+          export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/kokkos/install/lib:/kokkos-kernels/install/include
+          ctest -j $num_cpus --output-on-failure
diff --git a/tests/cmake/options.cmake b/tests/cmake/options.cmake
index d327d0fa8..a9ff273ce 100644
--- a/tests/cmake/options.cmake
+++ b/tests/cmake/options.cmake
@@ -65,22 +65,18 @@ if(PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_KOKKOS)
   # when trilinos is enabled it links kokkos too
   if(NOT PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_TRILINOS)
     # if kokkos is used as standalone lib, then we are more specific
-    # user needs to define: KOKKOS_ROOT_DIR and KOKKOS_KERNELS_ROOT_DIR
-    if (NOT KOKKOS_ROOT OR NOT KOKKOS_KERNELS_ROOT)
-message(FATAL_ERROR "Missing KOKKOS_ROOT. KOKKOS needs:
-        -D KOKKOS_ROOT=<full-path-to-kokkos-installation>
-        -D KOKKOS_KERNELS_ROOT=<full-path-to-kokkos-kernels-installation>
-        ")
+    # user needs to define: Kokkos_ROOT and KokkosKernels_ROOT
+    if (NOT Kokkos_ROOT OR NOT KokkosKernels_ROOT)
+      message(
+        FATAL_ERROR
+        "Missing Kokkos_ROOT. Kokkos needs:
+        -D Kokkos_ROOT=<full-path-to-kokkos-installation>
+        -D KokkosKernels_ROOT=<full-path-to-kokkos-kernels-installation>"
+      )
     endif()
-
-    set(KOKKOS_LIB_NAMES kokkoscontainers kokkoscore kokkoskernels)
-
-    include_directories(SYSTEM ${KOKKOS_ROOT}/include ${KOKKOS_KERNELS_ROOT}/include)
-
-    link_directories(${KOKKOS_ROOT}/lib ${KOKKOS_ROOT}/lib64
-${KOKKOS_KERNELS_ROOT}/lib ${KOKKOS_KERNELS_ROOT}/lib64)
-
-    link_libraries(${KOKKOS_LIB_NAMES})
+    find_package(Kokkos REQUIRED)
+    find_package(KokkosKernels REQUIRED)
+    link_libraries(Kokkos::kokkos Kokkos::kokkoskernels)
   endif()
 endif()
 
diff --git a/tests/functional_small/solvers_linear/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/functional_small/solvers_linear/CMakeLists.txt
index 988d6583a..cc313539a 100644
--- a/tests/functional_small/solvers_linear/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/functional_small/solvers_linear/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ if(PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_EIGEN)
   add_serial_utest(${TESTING_LEVEL}_eigen_matrix_free_sparse ${SRC1})
 endif()
 
-if(PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_KOKKOS)
+if(PRESSIO_ENABLE_TPL_TRILINOS)
   set(SRC1 ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/solvers_linear_kokkos.cc)
   add_serial_utest_kokkos(${TESTING_LEVEL}_solvers_linear_kokkos ${SRC1})
 endif()