Staff Software Engineer, Cloud Sandboxes (Seattle or SF/Bay Area)

Docker; United States; Remote; USD 170,000 - 276,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Freedom & flexibility

Whaleness Days & year-end break

Home office setup

Parental leave (16 weeks)

Job summary

Docker is seeking a Staff Software Engineer on the Cloud Sandboxes team in the United States. You will design and build core cloud infrastructure to enable scalable, secure, and observable multi-tenant workloads, with a focus on reliability and performance in distributed cloud environments.

The role requires 10+ years in backend engineering, strong Go/Java skills, and deep knowledge of container orchestration and microservices. Remote-first with teams across the globe and Seattle/Paris offices.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of backend software engineering experience building large-scale cloud or distributed systems.
• Strong proficiency in Go and/or Java.
• Deep understanding of container orchestration, Kubernetes, and microservices architecture.
• Experience designing and operating highly available, secure, and observable production systems.
• Strong understanding of cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and scalability patterns.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and infrastructure-as-code tooling.
• Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills in distributed environments.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across remote, cross-functional teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and operate core services powering Docker's Cloud Sandboxes platform.
• Build scalable systems for microVM orchestration, workload scheduling, and lifecycle management.
• Develop high-performance APIs and control plane components for multi-tenant workloads.
• Ensure reliability, observability, and performance across the Cloud Sandbox infrastructure.
• Collaborate with product, platform, and security teams to deliver customer-focused capabilities.
• Participate in architectural discussions, code reviews, and design documents.
• Contribute to automation and CI/CD improvements across the deployment pipeline.
• Debug and resolve production issues across distributed systems in cloud environments.
• Take part in on-call rotation; respond to incidents and drive reliability improvements.

Skills

Go

Java

Container orchestration

Kubernetes

Microservices architecture

Distributed systems

Cloud infrastructure

CI/CD pipelines

Observability/Monitoring

Infrastructure as Code

Debugging distributed systems

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Prometheus

OpenTelemetry

Grafana

Terraform

Job description

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.

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.

As a Staff Software Engineer on the Cloud Sandboxes team, you’ll design and build the core systems that power Docker’s cloud agentic platform. Your work will focus on creating scalable, reliable, and secure infrastructure that enables developers to deploy and manage agentic workloads efficiently and with confidence.

If you thrive on solving distributed systems challenges, enjoy working at the intersection of developer experience and cloud infrastructure, and want to help shape the future of Docker’s platform, we’d love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and operate core services that power Docker’s Cloud Sandboxes platform

• Build scalable systems for microVM orchestration, workload scheduling, and lifecycle management

• Develop high-performance APIs and control plane components for managing multi-tenant workloads

• Ensure system reliability, observability, and performance across Docker’s Cloud Sandbox infrastructure

• Collaborate with product, platform, and security teams to deliver customer-focused capabilities

• Participate in architectural discussions, code reviews, and design documents

• Contribute to automation and CI/CD improvements across the deployment pipeline

• Debug and resolve production issues across distributed systems in cloud environments

• Take part in on-call rotation for your team; respond to incidents, debug production issues, and drive continuous improvement of system reliability

Qualifications

Required:

• 10+ years of backend software engineering experience building large-scale cloud or distributed systems

• Strong proficiency in Go and/or Java

• Deep understanding of container orchestration , Kubernetes , and microservices architecture

• Experience designing and operating highly available , secure , and observable production systems

• Strong understanding of cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and related scalability patterns

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines , monitoring , and infrastructure-as-code tooling

• Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills in distributed environments

• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across remote, cross-functional teams

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred:

• Experience contributing to cloud-scale compute platforms or container infrastructure products

• Knowledge of service mesh , networking , or policy enforcement systems

• Experience with observability stacks (Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, Grafana, etc.)

• Familiarity with security best practices for multi-tenant cloud systems

• Prior experience in developer infrastructure, cloud platforms, or hyperscale environments

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

Compensation & Equity

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

Perks

• Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life

• Designated quarterly Whaleness Days plus end of year Whaleness break

• Home office setup; we want you comfortable while you work

• 16 weeks of paid Parental leave (after 6 months of employment)

• Technology stipend equivalent to $100 USD net/month

• PTO plan that encourages you to take time to do the things you enjoy

• 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

• Remote-first culture, with offices in Seattle and Paris

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.

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