Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools (US West Coast)

Docker

3d•$198,000 - $319,000•Remote

About The Position

Docker is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the technical vision and architecture for its internal Developer Tools team. This role is crucial for defining how software is designed, built, shipped, and operated at Docker, especially with the integration of AI to modernize the SDLC and make the right way the easy way for engineers. The position focuses on four key areas: Platform Engineering & Self-Service, CI/CD & Build Systems, AI-powered tools, and establishing SDLC tenets. The Principal Software Engineer will partner with engineering leadership, principal engineers, Security, and Infrastructure teams to build the mechanisms that support these tenets. Reporting to the Sr Manager of Developer Tools, this role involves collaboration across various teams and with customers as internal tools evolve into product offerings.

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

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

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
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
Define technical approach for productizing successful internal developer tools into customer-facing offerings
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

Benefits

Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life
Designated quarterly Whaleness Days plus end of year Whaleness break
Home office setup; we want you comfortable while you work
16 weeks of paid Parental leave (after 6 months of employment)
Technology stipend equivalent to $100 USD net/month
PTO plan that encourages you to take time to do the things you enjoy
Training stipend for conferences, courses and classes
Equity; we are a growing start-up and want all employees to have a share in the success of the company
Docker Swag
Medical benefits, retirement and holidays vary by country