Principal Software Engineer, AI Cloud

Docker3 months ago

Location

Seattle, WA

Workplace

Remote

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 232,000 – 319,000

Level

Principal

Role

Principal Software Engineer

Posted

Nov 19, 2025

Full TimeRemotePrincipal

The role

Summary

Docker is seeking a Principal Software Engineer for its AI Cloud platform, focusing on designing and implementing highly scalable, multi-cloud distributed systems that will revolutionize developer infrastructure. The ideal candidate will lead technical vision, architect robust cloud services, and drive innovation in container and cloud technologies across Docker's global platform.

What you'll do

Technical Leadership & Architecture: Define long-term technical strategy for Docker AI Cloud's control and data plane services, architecting multi-region systems across cloud providers

Systems Design & Implementation: Design distributed systems for workload orchestration, service discovery, and lifecycle management with focus on performance, scaling, and security

Strategic Impact: Align technical direction with business objectives, evaluate emerging technologies, and drive initiatives to optimize cross-cloud performance

Leadership & Mentorship: Guide senior engineers, lead design reviews, foster operational excellence, and participate in critical production system decisions

What we look for

Technical

Cloud InfrastructureExpertise in AWS, Azure, GCP, or OCI cloud infrastructure, including compute, networking, and storage primitives

Programming LanguagesProficiency in Go, Rust, or Java

Container TechnologiesAdvanced knowledge of Kubernetes, microservices, and service mesh architectures

Education

Academic BackgroundBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience

Experience

Professional Experience10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years in technical leadership roles at Staff or Principal level

System ReliabilityProven experience operating high-availability (99.99%+) production systems

Skills

Required skills

Distributed SystemsProven ability to design and build highly scalable distributed systems in production environments

Infrastructure as CodeStrong foundation in CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform, Pulumi, or CloudFormation

Cross-Functional CommunicationExceptional communication skills with ability to influence across technical and business domains

Nice to have

Multi-Cloud ExpertiseExperience designing multi-cloud or cross-cloud abstractions and orchestration layers

Open Source ContributionBackground contributing to open source or developer-focused platforms

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 232,000 – 319,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Remote Work

Flexible, remote-first work culture with global opportunities

Equity

Stock options in a growing startup

Technology Stipend

$100 monthly technology allowance

Training Budget

Stipend for conferences, courses, and professional development

Parental Leave

16 weeks of paid parental leave

Home Office Setup

Support for comfortable home working environment

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Technical resume review and initial recruiter conversation
2
Technical Interview — Deep-dive into distributed systems design, architecture, and problem-solving skills
3
Leadership Assessment — Evaluation of strategic thinking, mentorship capabilities, and cross-functional influence
4
Final Panel Interview — Meeting with engineering leadership to assess overall fit and vision alignment