Staff Software Engineer, Cloud Sandboxes (West Coast)

Docker3 days ago

Location

Seattle, WA

Workplace

Remote

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 170,350 – 275,550

Level

Staff

Role

Staff Engineer

Posted

Jun 26, 2026

Full TimeRemoteStaff

The role

Summary

Join Docker's Cloud Sandboxes team as a Staff Software Engineer to architect and operate core distributed systems powering Docker's cloud-native agentic platform. This role focuses on designing scalable microVM orchestration, multi-tenant workload scheduling, and high-performance control plane systems that enable developers to deploy autonomous workflows securely and reliably. You'll partner with product and security teams to advance container infrastructure while solving complex distributed systems challenges at scale.

What you'll do

Design and Implement Core Platform Services: Architect, build, and deploy mission-critical services that form the foundation of Docker's Cloud Sandboxes platform, ensuring they meet enterprise-grade performance and reliability standards for processing billions of container operations.

Build Scalable MicroVM Orchestration Systems: Develop distributed systems for microVM orchestration, workload scheduling, and lifecycle management that efficiently handle multi-tenant environments while maintaining security isolation and resource optimization across cloud infrastructure.

Develop High-Performance Control Plane APIs: Build low-latency APIs and control plane components that manage multi-tenant workloads, enabling secure and efficient deployment of agentic workloads across Docker's cloud platform with industry-leading performance characteristics.

Ensure System Reliability and Observability: Implement comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerting strategies to maintain high availability and visibility across Docker's Cloud Sandbox infrastructure, meeting SLAs for critical platform services.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product management, platform engineering, and security teams to translate customer requirements into scalable technical capabilities and drive architectural decisions that balance developer experience with infrastructure security.

Contribute to Architecture and Code Quality: Lead technical discussions, conduct thorough code reviews, author design documents, and establish best practices that elevate engineering standards across the Cloud Sandboxes team.

Advance CI/CD Infrastructure: Drive automation initiatives and improvements to deployment pipelines, reducing time-to-market for platform features while ensuring build reliability and deployment safety across development and production environments.

Debug Production Issues in Distributed Systems: Diagnose and resolve complex issues in production cloud environments using deep observability, systematic debugging techniques, and incident analysis to prevent future occurrences.

On-Call Response and Incident Management: Participate in on-call rotation for the Cloud Sandboxes team, respond to critical incidents, execute incident response procedures, and drive continuous improvement of system resilience and mean-time-to-resolution.

What we look for

Technical

Go or Java ProficiencyAdvanced proficiency in Go and/or Java for building distributed backend systems, with demonstrated experience shipping production systems written in either or both languages.

Container Orchestration ExpertiseDeep understanding of container orchestration platforms, particularly Kubernetes, including cluster management, workload scheduling, resource allocation, and operational patterns in production environments.

Distributed Systems ArchitectureStrong expertise in microservices architecture patterns, service communication protocols, distributed consensus mechanisms, and designing systems that operate reliably across multiple nodes and availability zones.

Cloud Infrastructure MasteryHands-on experience designing and operating on AWS, Azure, or GCP, including compute services, networking, storage, and understanding of cloud-native scalability patterns and cost optimization.

Infrastructure AutomationProficiency with infrastructure-as-code tools, CI/CD pipeline design and implementation, containerization best practices, and modern deployment automation frameworks.

High-Availability System DesignExperience designing, implementing, and operating production systems with stringent uptime requirements, including redundancy patterns, failover mechanisms, and disaster recovery strategies.

Observability and MonitoringExpertise in implementing comprehensive monitoring, logging, and observability solutions for distributed systems, including metrics collection, tracing, alerting, and performance analysis.

Distributed Debugging and TroubleshootingAdvanced ability to diagnose issues in complex distributed environments using logs, metrics, traces, and systematic debugging methodologies specific to cloud-scale systems.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or EngineeringBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field from an accredited institution.

Equivalent Practical ExperienceEquivalent professional experience demonstrating mastery of computer science fundamentals and software engineering principles through substantial production engineering work.

Experience

Large-Scale Backend System DevelopmentMinimum 10+ years of professional backend software engineering experience building, scaling, and operating large-scale distributed systems that handle significant throughput and complex operational requirements.

Cloud and Distributed Systems Production ExperienceDemonstrated track record of designing, implementing, and operating cloud-native or distributed systems in production environments at scale, with measurable impact on system performance or reliability.

Security and Multi-TenancyPractical experience implementing security controls in production systems, including multi-tenant isolation patterns, authentication, authorization, and compliance with enterprise security requirements.

Incident Response and On-Call ManagementExperience participating in on-call rotations, investigating production incidents, implementing root cause analyses, and driving improvements in system reliability and incident response processes.

Skills

Required skills

Go ProgrammingProduction-grade proficiency in Go for building backend services, microservices, and distributed systems with emphasis on performance, concurrency, and operational excellence.

Java ProgrammingProduction-grade proficiency in Java for large-scale systems, with experience in modern frameworks, JVM optimization, and building highly concurrent applications.

Kubernetes AdministrationDeep hands-on expertise with Kubernetes including cluster configuration, workload deployment, service discovery, storage management, and troubleshooting.

Microservices ArchitectureStrong understanding of microservices design patterns, API gateway patterns, service-to-service communication, and distributed transaction handling.

Cloud Platform ExpertiseProduction experience with AWS (EC2, ECS, EKS, networking, storage), GCP (GKE, Compute Engine, Cloud Run), or Azure (AKS, Container Instances) for building scalable infrastructure.

System Design and ScalabilityAbility to design large-scale systems that handle high throughput and complexity, including database sharding, caching strategies, load balancing, and performance optimization.

Infrastructure as CodePractical experience with infrastructure automation using Terraform, CloudFormation, Helm, or similar declarative infrastructure tools for repeatable deployments.

Monitoring and ObservabilityHands-on experience implementing observability across distributed systems using metrics, logs, and traces for comprehensive system visibility and troubleshooting.

Distributed Systems DebuggingSophisticated troubleshooting methodology for complex multi-node systems including log analysis, metrics interpretation, and systematic problem isolation in production environments.

Technical CommunicationAbility to clearly articulate technical architecture decisions, document complex systems, and collaborate effectively across remote, distributed teams using written and verbal communication.

Nice to have

Cloud Platform Infrastructure ProductsPrior experience contributing to cloud-scale compute platforms, container orchestration systems, or managed infrastructure services at companies like Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, or similar organizations.

Service Mesh ArchitectureHands-on experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd, Consul) for managing service-to-service communication, security policies, and traffic management at scale.

Advanced NetworkingDeep understanding of container networking, overlay networks, DNS resolution in distributed systems, network policies, and troubleshooting network-level issues in cloud environments.

Policy Enforcement SystemsExperience implementing policy enforcement, authorization frameworks, and admission control mechanisms in cloud-native environments for security and compliance.

Observability Stack ImplementationExpertise with observability platforms including Prometheus for metrics, OpenTelemetry for instrumentation, Grafana for visualization, and ELK or similar stacks for logging.

Multi-Tenant SecurityAdvanced knowledge of security best practices specific to multi-tenant cloud systems including workload isolation, data protection, secure credential management, and audit logging.

Hyperscale Infrastructure ExperienceBackground working at hyperscale companies or in developer infrastructure teams where you've operated systems handling millions of concurrent users or billions of transactions.

Container Ecosystem KnowledgeDeep familiarity with container technologies, image registries, container runtime security, and the broader Docker/container ecosystem.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 170,350 – 275,550 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Flexible Work Arrangement

Remote-first culture with full flexibility to structure your work around your life, supporting work-life balance and personal priorities.

Quarterly Whaleness Days Plus Extended Year-End Break

Designated quarterly wellness days coupled with an extended Whaleness break at year-end to recharge and disconnect from work.

Home Office Setup Support

Company investment in your home office environment to ensure you have a comfortable, productive workspace.

Paid Parental Leave

Comprehensive 16 weeks of paid parental leave available after 6 months of employment to support family growth.

Technology Stipend

Monthly technology stipend of $100 USD (net) to support home office upgrades, software subscriptions, or development tools.

Generous PTO Policy

Flexible time-off plan designed to encourage taking time for rest, personal pursuits, and experiences outside of work.

Professional Development Stipend

Training budget for conferences, courses, certifications, and classes to support continuous learning and career growth.

Equity Ownership

Stock options and equity grants aligned with company performance, enabling employees to participate in Docker's growth as a growing technology company.

Comprehensive Health Benefits

Medical benefits, retirement plans, and holiday schedules tailored to your country of residence, ensuring local compliance and support.

Global Office Access

Access to remote-first culture with physical offices in Seattle and Paris for occasional collaboration, team gatherings, or local hub work.

Docker Branded Merchandise

Exclusive Docker swag and company merchandise as part of the broader community experience.

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