diff --git a/.github/packaging/validate_build_output.sh b/.github/packaging/validate_build_output.sh
index 4ae588574..200b1a188 100755
--- a/.github/packaging/validate_build_output.sh
+++ b/.github/packaging/validate_build_output.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,20 @@
 package_type=${1}
-git clone -b v0.8.23 --depth=1  https://github.com/citusdata/tools.git tools
+
+# Since $HOME is set in GH_Actions as /github/home, pyenv fails to create virtualenvs.
+# For this script, we set $HOME to /root and then set it back to /github/home.
+GITHUB_HOME="${HOME}"
+export HOME="/root"
+
+eval "$(pyenv init -)"
+pyenv versions
+pyenv virtualenv ${PACKAGING_PYTHON_VERSION} packaging_env
+pyenv activate packaging_env
+
+git clone -b v0.8.24 --depth=1  https://github.com/citusdata/tools.git tools
 python3 -m pip install -r tools/packaging_automation/requirements.txt
 python3 -m tools.packaging_automation.validate_build_output --output_file output.log \
                                                             --ignore_file .github/packaging/packaging_ignore.yml \
                                                             --package_type ${package_type}
+pyenv deactivate
+# Set $HOME back to /github/home
+export HOME=${GITHUB_HOME}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/packaging-test-pipelines.yml b/.github/workflows/packaging-test-pipelines.yml
index 0233f2c1a..ae8d9d725 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/packaging-test-pipelines.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/packaging-test-pipelines.yml
@@ -49,14 +49,17 @@ jobs:
 
     container:
       image: citus/packaging:${{ matrix.packaging_docker_image }}-pg${{ matrix.POSTGRES_VERSION }}
+      options: --user root
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Add Postgres installation directory into PATH for rpm based distros
+      - name: Set Postgres and python parameters for rpm based distros
         run: |
           echo "/usr/pgsql-${{ matrix.POSTGRES_VERSION }}/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+          echo "/root/.pyenv/bin:$PATH" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+          echo "PACKAGING_PYTHON_VERSION=3.8.16" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Configure
         run: |
@@ -115,14 +118,17 @@ jobs:
 
     container:
       image: citus/packaging:${{ matrix.packaging_docker_image }}
+      options: --user root
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Set pg_config path to related Postgres version
+      - name: Set pg_config path and python parameters for deb based distros
         run: |
           echo "PG_CONFIG=/usr/lib/postgresql/${{ matrix.POSTGRES_VERSION }}/bin/pg_config" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "/root/.pyenv/bin:$PATH" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+          echo "PACKAGING_PYTHON_VERSION=3.8.16" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Configure
         run: |
@@ -154,5 +160,4 @@ jobs:
           apt install python3-dev python3-pip -y
           sudo apt-get purge -y python3-yaml
           python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip  setuptools==57.5.0
-
           ./.github/packaging/validate_build_output.sh "deb"