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Docker, Inc · 1 month ago

Principal Software Engineer, AI Tools and Security (West Coast, Seattle Preferred)

United States

Full-time

Hybrid

Lead/Staff

$232K/yr - $319K/yr

12+ years exp

Docker is a leading platform for app development, trusted by millions of users globally. They are seeking a Principal Backend Engineer to lead the technical direction of their AI Tools & Security team, focusing on building secure, developer-friendly AI infrastructure and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions.

Developer PlatformDeveloper ToolsInformation TechnologySoftware

Comp. & Benefits

No H1B

Responsibilities

Define the technical solution for a new product

Help shape the product with peers in Product and Design

Mentor other technical team members

Be the technical point of contact for the team

Qualification

Backend engineeringCloud-native systemsDistributed computingTechnical leadershipGo programmingReliability engineeringCI/CDCloud platformsAutonomous operationIterative deliveryCommunicationTechnical mentorshipCross-functional collaborationOwnership mentalityProblem-solvingTeam collaborationAdaptabilityMentoring others

Required

12+ years of backend engineering experience, including extensive work on production-grade, distributed systems at scale

Technical leadership across multiple teams or domains, with a proven ability to drive architectural vision, set technical direction, and influence long-term product strategy

Exceptional product and platform mindset—you think beyond implementation details to how technology shapes developer and business outcomes

Expertise in designing and evolving large-scale, cloud-native systems, with deep knowledge of distributed computing, service-oriented architecture, and performance optimization

Demonstrated experience building secure, resilient, and high-throughput backend services, with a strong grasp of reliability engineering principles (SLOs, observability, incident response)

Fluency in Go (preferred) or another modern systems language (Rust, Java, C++, etc.), with the ability to lead technical design reviews and mentor others in language-specific best practices

Strong grasp of software engineering fundamentals—CI/CD, testing strategy, source control, and deployment automation—applied in complex, multi-service environments

Proven track record of technical mentorship and cross-functional collaboration, enabling teams to deliver high-impact, high-quality software efficiently

Deep experience with major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and infrastructure-as-code tooling

Ownership mentality with a bias for action and iterative delivery, balancing short-term impact with long-term architectural health

Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences

Comfortable operating autonomously in distributed, remote-first teams, and leading through influence rather than authority