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

Role overview

The Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools (US West Coast) opening at Docker is centered on Technical Leadership & Architecture The employer also lists Define the long-term technical vision and architecture for Docker's developer tooling platform spanning platform engineering, CI/CD, and AI-powered tools and 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… These responsibilities define the practical scope more clearly than the job title: applicants should be ready to explain what they have built, supported or delivered that relates directly to this work. The listing summary says: Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools (US West Coast) opportunity with Docker. See the official posting for responsibilities and application details. The named technologies include Python, Java, AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Docker, Go.

The posting identifies 10+ years software engineering experience with 3+ years in Staff or Principal Engineer roles and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. as relevant qualifications. Candidates should connect these requirements to evidence from their own work, including their individual contribution, technical decisions and outcomes. The listing describes the work arrangement as remote and gives the location as United States. Confirm country eligibility, travel, employment terms and any details absent from this summary directly with Docker before applying. This overview is based on the employer-provided posting; it does not infer team structure or expectations that the source does not state.

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)
• 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

Qualifications

• 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
• 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

Technology in this role

• Python: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• Java: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• AWS: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• Azure: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• GCP: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• Kubernetes: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• Docker: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• Go: Python Java AWS Azure GCP Kubernetes Docker .
• Rust: 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 .
• LLM: 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, .
• Terraform: • Experience with infrastructure-as-code frameworks (Terraform, Pulumi) and multi-cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, .
• CI/CD: The Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools (US West Coast) opening at Docker is centered on Technical Leadership & Architecture The employer also lists Define the long-term technical vision and architecture for Docker's developer tooling platform spanning platform .
• Prometheus: 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 .
• Grafana: 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 .

Benefits

• 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.
• Home office support – Set up your workspace for comfort and success.
• 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.
• Docker is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe diverse teams build better products, make better decisions, and better serve our global community.

About Docker

Docker has been one of the most loved brands in developer tooling, trusted by more than 20 million monthly users and over 20 billion container image pulls. From solo founders to the world's largest companies, developers rely on Docker to build, share, and run their applications across our suite of products including Docker Desktop, Docker Hub, and Docker Scout.

We are a globally distributed, remote-first team building the tools that define how software gets built and delivered. As AI agents redefine software development, Docker is at the center of that shift, providing the sandboxed environments, verified images, and secure infrastructure that make autonomous workflows trustworthy by default.

_______________________________________________________________________

Docker seeks a Principal Software Engineer to define the technical vision and architecture for our internal Developer Tools team. This is a rare opportunity to establish how software is designed, built, shipped, and operated at Docker. With the addition of AI we are modernizing our SDLC and building the mechanisms that make the right way the easy way for every engineer.

You'll own the technical strategy across four interconnected pillars:

Platform Engineering & Self-Service: Design and build the internal developer platform that empowers teams across Docker to unblock themselves, rapidly scaffolding, prototyping, deploying, and operating their own services and tools.

CI/CD & Build Systems: Define Docker's technical approach to continuous integration, delivery, and build infrastructure. Establish architectural standards for pipeline tooling, GitOps deployment patterns, build substrate, and release engineering.

As Principal Software Engineer , you'll partner with engineering leadership across Docker, principal engineers, Security, Infrastructure, and the service teams to author the SDLC tenets that underpin all of this work, and build the mechanisms those tenets run through.

Reporting to the Sr Manager of Developer Tools, you'll collaborate closely with engineering leadership across Docker, product engineering teams, platform teams, and ultimately customers as internal tools evolve into product offerings.

What Would Make Someone Successful in This Role

You're a technical leader who excels at the intersection of developer experience, platform engineering, and systems design. You think in platforms and golden paths, building once and enabling dozens of teams to move faster. You have strong opinions on what makes developer tools great: invisible by default, indispensable once adopted, and measurable in the workflows engineers already use.

You have deep experience across the breadth of the developer tooling stack, CI/CD, build systems, observability infrastructure, and developer platforms, and working knowledge of LLM integration and AI agent development. You understand the nuances of internal platforms: designing for adoption, not mandate; plugging into existing workflows before standing up new ones; and earning trust through data before expanding scope.

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