Docker - Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools (US West Coast)

Remote - United States$198k - $319k+ Equity4mo ago

Remote Principal NA Cloud Computing Artificial Intelligence Principal Engineer Principal Go Rust Java Python Prometheus

Requirements

• 10+ years software engineering experience with 3+ years in Staff or Principal Engineer roles • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. • Proven track record architecting and operating developer-facing platforms, internal tools, or developer productivity systems at scale • Deep expertise in CI/CD systems, build infrastructure, and GitOps deployment patterns • Production experience with cloud-native infrastructure including Kubernetes, observability systems (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki), and deployment tooling • Experience designing self-service platforms, developer portals, or golden path tooling that enable other teams to move faster • Working knowledge of AI/ML technologies and hands-on experience with LLM APIs or AI agent development • Proficiency in Go (preferred), Rust, Java, or Python with strong software engineering fundamentals • Exceptional product and platform mindset considering developer experience, business outcomes, and technical/security trade-offs • Strong communication skills with ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders • Track record of technical mentorship and elevating engineering teams' capabilities • Ownership mentality with bias for action and iterative delivery in ambiguous, fast-moving environments • Comfortable with autonomous work in distributed, remote-first teams across multiple time zones • Preferred: • Experience with MCP (Model Context Protocol) or similar AI agent integration standards • Background in DevOps, SRE, or platform engineering domains • Contributions to open source developer tooling, platform engineering, or observability projects • Experience productizing internal platforms into commercial offerings • Deep knowledge of security, compliance, and operational best practices for production systems • Experience with infrastructure-as-code frameworks (Terraform, Pulumi) and multi-cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) • Track record driving org-wide adoption of developer tooling and engineering standards • What to Expect • What to Expect • First 30 Days • First 30 Days • Understand Docker's current developer tooling landscape: AI tools, CI/CD state, platform engineering gaps, and the foundational SDLC gap • Meet with engineering leadership, principal engineers, and key technical stakeholders across product engineering, Security, Infrastructure, and Agentic Platform • Conduct deep technical assessment of current developer tooling infrastructure to identify opportunities and constraints across all four pillars • Review existing tools in production and understand what's working, what isn't, and the technical lessons learned • Partner with Senior Manager to define initial technical priorities and 90-day technical roadmap across pillars • First 90 Days • First 90 Days • Define and document technical architecture for the Developer Tools platform across: system design, technology choices, integration patterns, and operational model • Ship first production deliverable, either an extension of existing tooling or a net-new tool with architectural patterns and standards that scale to future work • Establish technical foundations for the self-service platform: deployment pipeline, security controls, and cost management • Lead or contribute to the SDLC tenets working session with principal engineers, Security, and Infrastructure • Define success metrics and instrumentation strategy for measuring developer tool adoption, effectiveness, and productivity impact • Create architectural decision records and best practices guides for teams building on the platform • First Year Outlook • First Year Outlook • Establish mature technical architecture for the Developer Tools platform with multiple production tools demonstrating value • Build production-ready self-service platform enabling multiple teams to build, deploy, and operate their own tools with minimal friction • Define and implement technical standards for measuring developer productivity improvement: design quality, commit frequency, PR velocity, deployment reliability, and incident response times • Lead technical strategy for productizing successful internal tools into customer-facing offerings • Position Developer Tools as Docker's technical center of excellence for developer productivity, with regular technical talks, demos, and knowledge sharing • Define multi-year technical roadmap including advanced platform capabilities, expanded AI tooling, and emerging technology adoption • Docker considers visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis based on business needs.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Architecture • Define the long-term technical vision and architecture for Docker's developer tooling platform spanning platform engineering, CI/CD, and AI-powered tools • Lead authoring of SDLC tenets in partnership with other principal engineers, Security, and Infrastructure and build the mechanisms those tenets bind to (design gates, code review gates, pipeline standards, visibility) • Establish architectural patterns, technical standards, and best practices across the developer tooling stack • Design highly available, scalable infrastructure for hosting developer tools, agents, and platform services • Drive technical decisions on tooling choices, provider strategies, build/deploy substrate, and agent orchestration frameworks • Partner with Senior Manager and product leadership to align technical architecture with business objectives and productization opportunities • Systems Design & Implementation • Architect and build Docker's internal developer platform, the self-service substrate enabling teams to scaffold, deploy, and operate services with minimal friction • Design and implement CI/CD and build infrastructure that supports Docker's SDLC tenets and GitOps deployment patterns • Establish reliability, security, and performance standards across developer tooling including SLOs, monitoring, incident response, and cost management • Design integration points between developer tools and existing infrastructure (CI/CD pipelines, observability platforms, deployment systems) • Strategic Impact & Innovation • Evaluate emerging technologies across developer tooling, platform engineering, AI/LLM, and agent frameworks to inform Docker's technical strategy • Define and enforce the golden path, the concrete, left-to-right walkthrough of how Docker builds software, and identify where tooling closes gaps vs. where human process does • Drive technical standards for measuring developer tool effectiveness: adoption metrics, productivity gains, pipeline performance, and developer satisfaction • Lead cross-functional technical discussions influencing company-wide developer tooling architecture • Define technical approach for productizing successful internal developer tools into customer-facing offerings • Leadership & Mentorship • Mentor senior and staff engineers on platform engineering, CI/CD patterns, design, and AI/LLM integration • Lead design reviews and technical decision-making across all developer tooling work • Foster culture of technical excellence, experimentation, and rapid prototyping within the Developer Tools team • Serve as primary technical contact and thought leader for developer tooling across Docker's engineering organization • Collaborate with platform teams (Infrastructure, Security, Agentic Platform, Supply Chain Security) to establish shared technical standards and integration patterns • 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: $198K – $319K + equity • ______________________________________________________________________ • Open vacancy: This posting is for an existing open role. • AI in hiring: Docker may use AI-assisted tools during our recruiting process. • 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. • Remote-first by design – Work from your home, with offices in Seattle and Paris for connection and collaboration. • Flexibility that fits your life – We trust you to manage your schedule while delivering great work. • Time to recharge – Generous PTO, designated quarterly Whaleness Days, and a designated end-of-year Whaleness break. • Technology stipend – Equivalent to US$100 net per month to help support your work. • Learning & development – Annual stipend for conferences, courses, certifications, and continued learning. • Parental leave – 16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment. • Equity for all full-time employees – Share in Docker's long-term success as we continue to grow. • Comprehensive benefits – Medical, retirement, and paid holidays vary by country. • Docker swag – Because representing the whale never gets old.