Senior Software Engineer, AI Tools and Security

Docker; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Freedom & flexibility

Quarterly Whaleness Days

Home office setup

16 weeks paid Parental leave

Technology stipend

PTO plan

Quarterly hackathons

Training stipend

Equity

Docker swag

Medical benefits

Job summary

A global software company is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead the technical direction of their AI and security products. You will work in a fast-paced environment, contributing to the development of the MCP Gateway. Ideal candidates have 4+ years of backend experience, a strong product mindset, and must be proficient in modern programming languages such as Go. This role offers freedom and flexibility with numerous perks, including a home office setup and paid parental leave.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of backend engineering experience with production-grade systems.
• Strong grasp of software engineering best practices.
• Experience building secure, high-throughput services.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical approach for new product initiatives.
• Collaborate with Product and Design to shape features.
• Guide teammates through code reviews.

Skills

Backend engineering

Product mindset

Software engineering best practices

Building secure services

Proficiency in Go

Autonomy in remote teams

Communication skills

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

Microservices

Job description

At Docker, we make app development easier so developers can focus on what matters. Our remote-first team spans the globe, united by a passion for innovation and great developer experiences. With over 20 million monthly users and 20 billion image pulls, Docker is the #1 tool for building, sharing, and running apps—trusted by startups and Fortune 100s alike. We’re growing fast and just getting started. Come join us for a whale of a ride!

Docker’s AI Tools & Security team is building the foundation for the next generation of secure, developer-friendly AI infrastructure. Our flagship product, the MCP Gateway, empowers developers to connect, observe, and secure AI agents and tools across the entire lifecycle—from prototype to production. We’re defining how developers safely harness the power of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) in real-world environments.

We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer who thrives at the intersection of AI, security, and developer experience. You’ll lead the technical direction of the Gateway and related services, collaborating closely with Product, Design, and Security to deliver elegant frameworks and APIs that developers love to use. This is a high-velocity, high-ownership environment: you’ll ship fast, iterate constantly, and help shape the future of secure agent-based development.

Qualifications:

Required

• 4+ years of backend engineering experience with production-grade systems
• A strong product mindset—you're excited about building developer-facing tools
• Strong grasp of software engineering best practices (code review, source control, CI/CD, testing)
• Experience building secure, high-throughput services
• Proficiency in modern programming languages (we primarily use Go)
• Ownership mentality with a bias for shipping, learning, and iterating
• Comfortable working with autonomy across distributed, remote teams.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills

Bonus

• Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and microservices architecture
• Prior experience with OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar LLM APIs, and the MCP specification

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to defining the technical approach for new product initiatives
• Collaborate closely with Product and Design to shape features and user experience
• Support and guide teammates through code reviews and technical discussions
• Serve as a reliable technical voice within the team and help ensure strong engineering standards

What to expect

First 30 days:

• Meet team members
• Build context about the problem space and prior art
• Provide feedback on current exploration and propose next steps in line with Product and Design

First 90 days:

• Work with Product and Design on defining the product
• Attend customer calls
• Meet people across the company
• Help grow the team by participating in hiring loops

One Year Outlook:

• Bring the product to market

We use Covey as part of our hiring and / or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT. As part of the evaluation process we provide Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using Covey Scout for Inbound on April 13, 2024.

Please see the independent bias audit report covering our use of Covey here.

Perks

• Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life
• Designated quarterly Whaleness Days
• Home office setup; we want you comfortable while you work
• 16 weeks of paid Parental leave
• Technology stipend equivalent to $100 net/month
• PTO plan that encourages you to take time to do the things you enjoy
• Quarterly, company-wide hackathons
• 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

Docker embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our company will be.

Due to the remote nature of this role, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.