diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-metrics.yaml b/.github/workflows/run-metrics.yaml
index 1801214962..e50f6bd21a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run-metrics.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-metrics.yaml
@@ -10,16 +10,11 @@ on:
         type: string
 
 jobs:
-  run-metrics:
-    strategy:
-      fail-fast: true
-      matrix:
-        vmm: ['clh', 'qemu']
-      max-parallel: 1
+  setup-kata:
+    name: Kata Setup
     runs-on: metrics
     env:
       GOPATH: ${{ github.workspace }}
-      KATA_HYPERVISOR: ${{ matrix.vmm }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
@@ -34,6 +29,21 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install kata
         run: bash tests/metrics/gha-run.sh install-kata kata-artifacts
 
+  run-metrics:
+    needs: setup-kata
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: true
+      matrix:
+        vmm: ['clh', 'qemu']
+      max-parallel: 1
+    runs-on: metrics
+    env:
+      GOPATH: ${{ github.workspace }}
+      KATA_HYPERVISOR: ${{ matrix.vmm }}
+    steps:
+      - name: enabling the hypervisor
+        run: bash tests/metrics/gha-run.sh enabling-hypervisor
+
       - name: run launch times test
         run: bash tests/metrics/gha-run.sh run-test-launchtimes
 
diff --git a/tests/common.bash b/tests/common.bash
index 224df23f52..295ac8c5cf 100644
--- a/tests/common.bash
+++ b/tests/common.bash
@@ -295,18 +295,29 @@ function install_kata() {
 		sudo ln -sf "${b}" "${local_bin_dir}/$(basename $b)"
 	done
 
-	if [[ ${KATA_HYPERVISOR} == "dragonball" ]]; then
-		sudo ln -sf "${katadir}/runtime-rs/bin/containerd-shim-kata-v2" "${local_bin_dir}/containerd-shim-kata-${KATA_HYPERVISOR}-v2"
-	else
-		sudo ln -sf "${katadir}/bin/containerd-shim-kata-v2" "${local_bin_dir}/containerd-shim-kata-${KATA_HYPERVISOR}-v2"
-	fi
-
-	sudo ln -sf ${katadir}/share/defaults/kata-containers/configuration-${KATA_HYPERVISOR}.toml ${katadir}/share/defaults/kata-containers/configuration.toml 
-
 	check_containerd_config_for_kata
 	restart_containerd_service
 }
 
+# creates a new kata configuration.toml hard link that
+# points to the hypervisor passed by KATA_HYPERVISOR env var.
+function enabling_hypervisor() {
+	declare -r KATA_DIR="/opt/kata"
+	declare -r CONFIG_DIR="${KATA_DIR}/share/defaults/kata-containers"
+	declare -r SRC_HYPERVISOR_CONFIG="${CONFIG_DIR}/configuration-${KATA_HYPERVISOR}.toml"
+	declare -r DEST_KATA_CONFIG="${CONFIG_DIR}/configuration.toml"
+	declare -r CONTAINERD_SHIM_KATA="/usr/local/bin/containerd-shim-kata-${KATA_HYPERVISOR}-v2"
+
+	if [[ ${KATA_HYPERVISOR} == "dragonball" ]]; then
+		sudo ln -sf "${KATA_DIR}/runtime-rs/bin/containerd-shim-kata-v2" "${CONTAINERD_SHIM_KATA}"
+	else
+		sudo ln -sf "${KATA_DIR}/bin/containerd-shim-kata-v2" "${CONTAINERD_SHIM_KATA}"
+	fi
+
+	sudo ln -sf "${SRC_HYPERVISOR_CONFIG}" "${DEST_KATA_CONFIG}"
+}
+
+
 function check_containerd_config_for_kata() {
 	# check containerd config
 	declare -r line1="default_runtime_name = \"kata\""
diff --git a/tests/metrics/gha-run.sh b/tests/metrics/gha-run.sh
index ac773eb33c..3f168dafec 100755
--- a/tests/metrics/gha-run.sh
+++ b/tests/metrics/gha-run.sh
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ function main() {
 	action="${1:-}"
 	case "${action}" in
 		install-kata) install_kata && install_checkmetrics ;;
+		enabling-hypervisor) enabling_hypervisor ;;
 		make-tarball-results) make_tarball_results ;;
 		run-test-launchtimes) run_test_launchtimes ;;
 		run-test-memory-usage) run_test_memory_usage ;;