Docker - Senior Principal Engineer, Central Ops & Systems

Remote - Seattle, Washington, United States$219k - $352k+ Equity3w ago

Remote Principal NA Cloud Computing Developer Tools Principal Engineer Principal Staff Development AWS GCP Azure Kubernetes

Requirements

• Technical Expertise • Technical Expertise • 12+ years of software engineering experience with demonstrated expertise across multiple domains (SDLC, AI engineering, corporate systems, etc) • Proven track record architecting and delivering large-scale distributed systems serving millions of users and thousands of enterprise customers • Broad working knowledge across all platform domains with ability to make sound architectural decisions spanning multiple areas • Expert-level understanding of API design, service architecture, and system integration patterns at scale, including in-house vs. vendor developed systems. • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and modern infrastructure patterns (Kubernetes, service mesh, infrastructure-as-code) • Knowledge of enterprise security requirements, compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001), and their architectural implications • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience • Strategic & Business Impact • Track record of establishing strategic technical plans that directly enabled business outcomes (revenue growth, cost reduction, market expansion) • Experience translating business strategy into technical architecture and roadmaps • Demonstrated ability to identify and prioritize investments that provide maximum platform leverage • Understanding of SaaS business models, enterprise sales cycles, and how platform capabilities influence commercial success • Experience making build-vs-buy decisions for critical platform components • Leadership & Influence • Proven ability to drive large cross-company technical programs requiring coordination across multiple engineering organizations • Experience working with VPs and executives to set and execute technical strategy • Track record of influencing technical direction without direct authority—building consensus across teams with different priorities • Strong communication skills with ability to present to executives, influence leadership, and drive alignment at all levels • Experience mentoring senior engineers and developing technical leadership • Preferred • Preferred • Experience at developer tools, infrastructure software, or B2B SaaS companies at significant scale • Background with container technologies, Docker, Kubernetes, or developer productivity platforms • Track record of successfully migrating legacy systems while maintaining business continuity • Knowledge of Financial Operations and infrastructure cost optimization at scale • Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field • External recognition as a technical leader (conference speaking, publications, open source contributions) • Key Success Metrics • Key Success Metrics • Platform Leverage & Velocity • Product teams can launch enterprise-ready features in <2 weeks (vs. 6+ months today) by leveraging platform capabilities • Docker teams rapidly adopt new capabilities within 2 months of release (vs. 6+ months today) • Technical Excellence • Platform systems achieve 99.9%+ uptime for business-critical workflows • Infrastructure platform reduces deployment time for new services from 2-4 weeks to <1 day • Organizational Impact • Recognized across Docker as the definitive technical authority on internal architecture • Successfully drive convergence of fragmented systems, reducing technical debt and operational burden • Develop multiple Staff and Principal engineers who can own major platform domains • Docker considers visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis based on business needs.

Responsibilities

• Technical Vision & Strategic Planning • Define and own the multi-year technical vision for Docker's Central Operations and Systems group, encompassing internal AI, developer tools, infrastructure, reliability, and corporate systems. • Establish strategic plans and objectives for major initiatives, making architectural decisions that ensure Docker's business objectives are met. • Contribute to and drive the strategic vision in collaboration with engineering leadership, translating organizational strategy into technical roadmaps that span multiple teams and time horizons • Identify and prioritize investments that provide maximum leverage—capabilities built once that enable rapid adoption and increase productivity across the employee base • Develop architectural principles and standards that guide technical decisions across the Central Operations and Systems group and influence product engineering teams • Anticipate future business needs and ensure platform architecture provides the flexibility to support Docker's evolving commercial models • Cross-Company Technical Leadership • Lead technical vision and implementation for large cross-company programs that require coordination across all Docker teams • Architect the Docker SDLC "Golden Path": how Dockhands build, manage and deploy systems and software, as applicable • Drive convergence of fragmented systems across Docker—replacing product-specific implementations with shared platform capabilities • Establish technical contracts between platform and product teams that enable independent velocity while ensuring consistency and reliability • Lead architectural reviews for major initiatives across Docker, ensuring alignment with platform strategy and long-term maintainability • Proactively identify and solve problems that impact critical areas of the business before they become blockers • Infrastructure & Developer Experience Architecture • Define the infrastructure platform vision that removes infrastructure as a bottleneck to innovation—enabling teams to deploy experimental services in minutes, not weeks • Architect standardized deployment patterns that encode best practices for security, scaling, monitoring, and reliability • Design infrastructure that specifically supports AI and agent initiatives—rapid deployment, programmatic environment creation, consistent APIs • Establish observability standards that provide distributed tracing, metrics, log aggregation, and error tracking out of the box for every service • Drive cost optimization across platform infrastructure while maintaining performance and reliability standards • Technical Excellence & Influence • Work with senior managers and directors across Docker organization to drive operations and strategy • Mentor and develop Staff and Principal engineers, raising the technical bar across the organization • Represent Docker's platform architecture and AI adoption externally through blog posts, conference talks, and technical community engagement • Participate in executive-level discussions on technical strategy, providing architectural perspective on business decisions • Drive build-vs-buy decisions for critical platform components, evaluating vendor solutions against Docker's specific requirements • This role may require participation in an on-call rotation to provide support outside of standard business hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as needed.

Benefits

• United States: $219K – $352K + equity • United States: • ______________________________________________________________________ • Open vacancy: This posting is for an existing open role. • Open vacancy: • AI in hiring: Docker may use AI-assisted tools during our recruiting process. • AI in hiring: • Interview recordings: Candidates will be invited to opt in to interview recordings to support interviewer calibration and consistent evaluations. Recordings are optional and require explicit consent. • Interview recordings: • Remote-first by design – Work from your home, with offices in Seattle and Paris for connection and collaboration. • Remote-first by design • Flexibility that fits your life – We trust you to manage your schedule while delivering great work. • Flexibility that fits your life • Time to recharge – Generous PTO, designated quarterly Whaleness Days, and a designated end-of-year Whaleness break. • Time to recharge • Technology stipend – Equivalent to US$100 net per month to help support your work. • Technology stipend • US$100 net per month • Learning & development – Annual stipend for conferences, courses, certifications, and continued learning. • Learning & development • Parental leave – 16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment. • Parental leave • Equity for all full-time employees – Share in Docker's long-term success as we continue to grow. • Equity for all full-time employees • Comprehensive benefits – Medical, retirement, and paid holidays vary by country. • Docker swag – Because representing the whale never gets old. • Docker swag