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!We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer (Docker Agents) to join Docker’s AI engineering team to build the future of containerized AI agents. Docker containers are the perfect vehicle to host and run AI agents—providing isolation, portability, and reproducibility. You’ll be working on cagent, our open-source project (https://github.com/docker/cagent), and expanding on it to enable developers to build, deploy, and scale intelligent agents using Docker’s container technology.This is a greenfield opportunity to shape how developers leverage containers for AI agents at massive scale. You’ll define the technical vision, lead architecture decisions, and partner with engineers and leaders across Docker to bring containerized agent capabilities into Docker’s developer experience.ResponsibilitiesTechnical Leadership & Architecture: Define and drive the long-term technical strategy for Docker’s containerized agent platform, including core primitives, APIs, and extensibility patternsBuild Containerized Agent Systems: Design and implement systems that leverage Docker containers as the ideal runtime for AI agents, ensuring isolation, scalability, and portabilityExpand cagent: Maintain and evolve the open-source cagent project, adding new capabilities for containerized agent deployment, orchestration, and lifecycle managementAgent Runtime Development: Build robust infrastructure for packaging, deploying, and managing agents in containers across local and cloud environmentsEvaluation & Testing: Define evaluation frameworks to measure agent quality, reliability, and production readiness; plus the deployment effectiveness of containerized runtimesReliability & Operability: Establish standards for observability, performance, and operational excellence; lead critical production decision-making and incident learnings as neededRapid Prototyping: Iterate quickly on new agent capabilities and deployment patterns, moving from concept to production efficientlyOpen Source Community: Engage with the cagent community, review contributions, and help grow the ecosystemCross-functional Collaboration: Lead cross-functional technical discussions and influence architectural decisions across Docker’s AI initiatives (including sister teams and platform efforts)Mentorship & Enablement: Mentor senior engineers, raise the bar through design reviews, and accelerate team execution through clear technical direction and coachingBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experienceQualifications10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years in technical leadership roles (Staff/Principal level or equivalent scope)Go Expertise: Strong proficiency in Go (this is absolutely required) - Docker’s primary language for backend systemsAI/ML Knowledge: Practical experience with large language models (LLMs) and agent development patternsSystem Architecture: Proven ability to design scalable, distributed systems in production environmentsContainer Technology: Deep understanding of Docker, containerization best practices, and container orchestrationCloud/Platform Depth: Experience building and operating platform services with strong foundations in observability, CI/CD, and security principlesOperational Excellence: Experience operating and evolving high-availability production systems with a focus on reliability and performanceInfluence & Communication: Exceptional communication skills and ability to influence across technical and business domainsAI Frameworks: Experience with CrewAI, AGNO, ADK, LangChain/LangGraph or similar AI orchestration frameworks (preferred)Python Proficiency: Experience with Python for AI prototyping and tooling (preferred)Experience with Kubernetes or container orchestration platforms (preferred)Open source contributions and community engagement (preferred)Experience with agent evaluation, reliability, and observability techniques (preferred)What to ExpectFirst 30 daysIntegrate into our AI engineering team building containerized agent infrastructureDeep dive into cagent’s architecture, project roadmap, and the developer problems we’re solvingIdentify the highest-leverage architectural and execution risks/opportunities; align with stakeholders on prioritiesContribute initial improvements to cagent and the containerized agent runtime foundationsFirst 90 daysLead significant platform features or architectural improvements to cagent and our containerized agent ecosystemEstablish (or materially improve) technical standards for evaluation, reliability, and operability of agent systemsDrive alignment across internal teams on APIs, integration points, and a cohesive developer experienceMentor engineers through design reviews and help accelerate onboarding and executionOne-Year OutlookDrive major architectural decisions for our containerized agent platform that will impact millions of Docker usersShape the long-term technical vision and execution plan for Docker’s agent ecosystem (open-source and product surfaces)Establish repeatable engineering practices for quality, performance, and operational excellence in agent systemsLead initiatives to expand containerized agent capabilities for enterprise use cases and broader platform integrationsGrow the team’s technical capabilities through mentorship, strategy, and pragmatic deliveryDocker does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.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.PerksFreedom & flexibility; fit your work around your lifeDesignated quarterly Whaleness Days plus end of year Whaleness breakHome office setup; we want you comfortable while you work16 weeks of paid Parental leaveTechnology stipend equivalent to $100 net/monthPTO plan that encourages you to take time to do the things you enjoyTraining stipend for conferences, courses and classesEquity; we are a growing start-up and want all employees to have a share in the success of the companyDocker SwagMedical benefits, retirement and holidays vary by countryRemote-first culture, with offices in Seattle and ParisDocker 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.#LI-REMOTE