# Staff Software Engineer, Docker AI Substrate (Seattle or Palo Alto)
**Company:** [Docker](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/docker)
As a Staff Software Engineer on Docker's AI Substrate team, you will design and operate enterprise-grade infrastructure for agentic AI platforms, building production control planes and Kubernetes orchestration systems in Go. This senior role requires 10+ years of cloud platform experience, deep Kubernetes expertise, and proven production ownership, with opportunity to shape architecture for the world's largest companies running AI agents at scale.
**Role:** Staff Software Engineer
**Seniority:** Staff
**Locations:** Palo Alto, CA or Seattle, WA
**Salary:** 170350–275550 USD
[Apply](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/docker/675169de-3623-491d-a386-40160b694ef3)
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/jobs/docker/staff-software-engineer-docker-ai-substrate-seattle-or-palo-alto
---
## Responsibilities

- Design and Build Agentic Platform Infrastructure: Architect and implement deployment, release, and operations systems for Docker's agentic platform serving enterprise customers, leveraging Go and Kubernetes to ensure scalability and reliability across diverse infrastructure environments.
- Ensure Multi-Cloud Consistency and Security: Build systems that provide consistent platform behavior across cloud providers and on-premises environments, implementing security boundaries, identity controls, and network policies required by large enterprises running production AI workloads.
- Own Release Engineering and Supply Chain: Design and maintain reproducible, verifiable, and trusted deployment paths using OCI standards, container digests, and software supply chain best practices to guarantee the integrity of every deployment across customer environments.
- Production Operations and On-Call Responsibility: Take ownership of system reliability through production monitoring, on-call rotations, SLO definition, incident response, and post-mortem processes, building operational tooling that keeps infrastructure maintainable at scale.
- Set Technical Direction and Architecture: Collaborate with the team architect and engineering leadership to define technical strategy, make architectural decisions for the AI Substrate platform, and coordinate with partner teams across runtime, developer experience, identity, and observability.
- Elevate Engineering Standards Through Mentorship: Establish engineering excellence by conducting design reviews, implementing testing discipline, mentoring junior engineers, and raising the bar for code quality and architectural rigor as the team grows and evolves.

## Requirements

### education

- {"name":"Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related Field (Strongly Preferred)","description":"Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience demonstrating deep systems engineering knowledge and problem-solving capability."}

### technical

- {"name":"Cloud Control and Management Plane Architecture","description":"Proven experience building and operating cloud control planes that provision, upgrade, and monitor infrastructure across multiple tenants or environments in production, with demonstrated pager accountability at cloud providers, managed-service vendors, or enterprise platform teams."}
- {"name":"Advanced Kubernetes Expertise","description":"Hands-on mastery of Kubernetes beyond deployment, including writing controllers and operators, understanding reconciliation patterns and Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs), and applying declarative infrastructure principles at fleet scale."}
- {"name":"Deep Cloud Platform Knowledge","description":"Expert-level proficiency in at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure) covering compute, networking, identity services, and managed offerings, with ability to rapidly adopt additional cloud environments."}
- {"name":"Distributed Systems Design","description":"Deep understanding of distributed systems principles including fault tolerance, consistency models, observability patterns, idempotent reconciliation, and consensus mechanisms required for reliable infrastructure at scale."}
- {"name":"Go Programming Language","description":"Professional-grade proficiency in Go programming, as Docker's entire backend infrastructure and AI Substrate team codebase is built in Go, requiring production-level competency."}
- {"name":"Production Ownership and SRE Practices","description":"Demonstrated experience with on-call rotations, incident response processes, SLO definition and tracking, post-mortem culture, and operational observability, reflecting commitment to running what you build."}

### experience

- {"name":"10+ Years Infrastructure and Platform Engineering","description":"Minimum 10 years of professional software engineering experience focused on infrastructure, platform services, or cloud systems, with demonstrated judgment and ability to guide technical direction for senior engineering teams."}
- {"name":"Enterprise-Scale System Operations","description":"Track record of designing and operating systems used by large enterprises and global companies, with experience handling production incidents, managing reliability trade-offs, and maintaining system stability under real-world constraints."}
- {"name":"Release Engineering and Supply Chain Management","description":"Prior experience with release engineering practices, software supply chain security, container image management, artifact verification, and deployment orchestration in production environments."}

## Skills

### required

- {"name":"Go Programming","description":"Production-level expertise in Go, the primary language for Docker's backend systems and the AI Substrate platform infrastructure."}
- {"name":"Kubernetes Architecture and Operations","description":"Expert-level knowledge of Kubernetes including controllers, operators, CRDs, reconciliation patterns, and orchestration at scale."}
- {"name":"Cloud Infrastructure Platforms","description":"Deep hands-on experience with AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure, including compute, networking, identity, and managed services."}
- {"name":"Distributed Systems Design","description":"Mastery of fault tolerance, consistency, observability, and idempotent reconciliation patterns required for reliable infrastructure."}
- {"name":"Production Operations and SRE","description":"Proven track record with on-call responsibilities, incident response, SLO management, and operational observability."}
- {"name":"Infrastructure as Code","description":"Experience defining infrastructure through declarative configuration, automation, and version-controlled infrastructure patterns."}

### preferred

- {"name":"Kubernetes Resource Orchestration (KRO)","description":"Experience with advanced Kubernetes resource orchestration systems and cloud-native resource controllers that extend Kubernetes capabilities."}
- {"name":"OCI Standards and Container Registry Management","description":"Knowledge of OCI specifications, container image digests, registry operations, and standards-based container management practices."}
- {"name":"Private Cloud Connectivity","description":"Hands-on experience with private connectivity patterns including AWS PrivateLink, VPC peering, service endpoints, and egress policy enforcement."}
- {"name":"OpenTelemetry and Observability Pipelines","description":"Experience building observability systems using OpenTelemetry with multiple monitoring and tracing destinations."}
- {"name":"Managed Services Architecture","description":"Design and operational experience building managed services with multi-tenant support, self-service provisioning, and operational excellence."}
- {"name":"Isolated Execution Environments","description":"Familiarity with Firecracker microVMs, sandbox environments, or other isolation technologies for securely running untrusted code."}

## Tech stack

### tools

- {"name":"Docker Desktop and Docker Hub","description":"Docker's core developer and container ecosystem tools used extensively throughout infrastructure development and deployment workflows."}
- {"name":"Docker Scout","description":"Image security and supply chain verification tool used to ensure container image integrity and compliance."}
- {"name":"OCI Registries","description":"Container image storage and distribution infrastructure using Open Container Initiative standards and specifications."}
- {"name":"OpenTelemetry","description":"Observability framework for distributed tracing, metrics collection, and logs aggregation across cloud environments."}

### others

- {"name":"Cloud Platforms","description":"AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure for compute, networking, identity, and managed services infrastructure."}
- {"name":"Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs)","description":"Custom resource patterns for extending Kubernetes to manage application-specific infrastructure and platform abstractions."}
- {"name":"Container Security and Isolation","description":"Technologies including Firecracker microVMs, sandbox environments, and kernel security mechanisms for workload isolation."}

### databases

### languages

- {"name":"Go","description":"Primary backend language for all Docker systems and AI Substrate platform infrastructure, essential for development and operational tooling."}

### frameworks

- {"name":"Kubernetes","description":"Container orchestration platform forming the foundation of the AI Substrate infrastructure, used for deployment, scaling, and lifecycle management."}

## Benefits

### benefits

- {"name":"Remote-First Work Environment","description":"Work from anywhere with flexible remote arrangements; Docker maintains offices in Seattle and Paris for optional in-person collaboration, emphasizing trust and asynchronous communication."}
- {"name":"Flexible Work Schedule","description":"Management trusts you to organize your own schedule while maintaining high-quality deliverables, enabling work-life integration suited to your personal needs."}
- {"name":"Generous Time Off and Wellness Days","description":"Comprehensive PTO policy with quarterly 'Whaleness Days' for personal development and reflection, plus designated end-of-year 'Whaleness Break' for team-wide recharge."}
- {"name":"Home Office Support","description":"Home office stipend (US$100 net per month equivalent) to create a comfortable, productive workspace for remote work excellence."}
- {"name":"Professional Development Budget","description":"Annual stipend for conferences, technical courses, industry certifications, and ongoing learning to maintain expertise and stay current with technology trends."}
- {"name":"Equity Participation","description":"Full-time employees share in Docker's long-term growth through equity grants, aligning your success with company success."}
- {"name":"Parental Leave","description":"16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment, supporting work-life balance for growing families."}
- {"name":"Comprehensive Benefits Package","description":"Medical, dental, vision, and retirement benefits with specific offerings varying by country to meet local standards and employee needs."}
- {"name":"Company Swag and Culture","description":"Docker branded merchandise and active company culture celebrating Docker's mission and brand identity within the developer community."}

## Compensation

- **max:** 275550
- **min:** 170350
- **currency:** USD
- **stockOptions:** true

## Interview process

### steps

- {"name":"Initial Screening","description":"Recruiter conversation to assess background, infrastructure engineering experience, and alignment with the AI Substrate team's technical requirements and seniority expectations."}
- {"name":"Technical Architecture Interview","description":"Deep-dive discussion with team members covering distributed systems design, Kubernetes architecture patterns, cloud platform expertise, and production infrastructure experience."}
- {"name":"Systems Design Discussion","description":"Whiteboard or collaborative technical session designing a control plane or orchestration system similar to Docker's agentic platform infrastructure."}
- {"name":"Production Operations and SRE Scenarios","description":"Conversation about incident response, SLO management, on-call practices, and operational decision-making in production environments."}
- {"name":"Team and Leadership Discussion","description":"Meeting with engineering leadership and the team architect to discuss technical direction, mentorship philosophy, and cross-team collaboration."}
- {"name":"Interview Recording (Optional)","description":"Candidates may opt into interview recording to support interviewer calibration and ensure consistent evaluation across candidates; participation is entirely voluntary and requires explicit consent."}

## Full description
## **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.

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As agents take on bigger jobs, the infrastructure around them matters more. Docker's answer is to give every agent a strong boundary, make its environment and authority reproducible, and let the work run where it makes sense, from a developer's laptop to the cloud. The Docker AI Substrate team brings that foundation to the enterprise: the largest companies in the world, running agents at scale, with the security, reliability, and control they expect from any critical system. We are a small, senior team at the start of that work. As a Staff Software Engineer here, you will shape the architecture, build the core systems, and run what you build.

**Locations:** Seattle, WA or Palo Alto, CA.

## **Responsibilities**

* Design and build the systems that deploy, release, and operate Docker's agentic platform for enterprise customers, in Go and on Kubernetes.
* Make the platform run consistently across cloud providers and environments, with the security, identity, and network boundaries enterprises require.
* Own the release and supply chain path so every deployment is reproducible, verifiable, and trusted.
* Run what you build: production ownership, on-call, SLOs, incident response, and the operational tooling that keeps it boring.
* Set technical direction with the team's architect and engineering leadership, and work with partner teams across runtime, developer experience, identity, and observability.
* Raise the bar through design review, testing discipline, and mentorship as the team grows.

## **Qualifications**

### **Required**

* **You have built and operated a cloud control and management plane.** Software that provisions, upgrades, and watches infrastructure for many tenants or environments, in production, with a pager. Experience at a cloud provider, a managed-service vendor, or a platform team that stamps out environments.
* **Kubernetes beyond deployment.** You have written controllers or operators, understand reconciliation and CRDs, and know why declarative beats imperative at fleet scale.
* **Deep in at least one major cloud.** Hands-on with compute, networking, identity, and managed services, and able to pick up a second cloud fast.
* **Production ownership.** On-call, incident response, SLOs, post-mortems. You run what you build.
* **Distributed systems design.** Fault tolerance, consistency, observability, idempotent reconciliation.
* **Go.** Professional proficiency. Docker's backend and all of this team's code is Go.
* **10+ years** of professional software engineering in infrastructure, platform, or cloud services, with the judgment to set direction for others.

## **Strongly preferred**

* **Kubernetes** resource orchestration and cloud controllers, such as KRO.
* **Release engineering and software supply chain:** OCI registries, digests, license compliance.
* **Private connectivity between cloud accounts:** PrivateLink, VPC peering, service endpoints, egress policy.
* **OpenTelemetry** pipelines with multiple destinations.
* Building **managed** services.
* Firecracker, microVMs, or other isolated execution environments for untrusted code.
* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

**Docker considers visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis based on business needs.**

**Compensation & Equity**

**United States:** $170,350 – $275,550 + equity

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## **Posting Information**

* **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.

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## **Perks & 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._

#LI-REMOTE