Staff Software Engineer, AI Developer Tools

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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Docker is looking for a Staff Software Engineer to set the technical direction for key parts of our AI Developer Tools team. You will work at the intersection of AI, developer experience, and platform engineering, building the AI-powered tools and the platform that let teams across Docker prototype, deploy, and scale their own AI developer tools.

As a Staff Engineer you will own the technical design and delivery for two areas:

AI-Powered Developer Tools.

Design and build AI agents and tools that accelerate developer productivity, surface observability insights, and automate operational reviews. You will help teams adopt an AI-native way of working and speed up adoption of tools such as Claude Code and Codex. Examples include AI-powered code review and refactoring assistants, automated test generators and local environment setup tools, deployment pipeline diagnostic agents, and agents that simplify on-call work during incidents.

Self-Service AI Developer Tools Platform.

Design and build the platform infrastructure that lets product and platform teams across Docker unblock themselves by prototyping, building, and deploying their own AI developer tools. You will set the patterns and standards that let teams experiment, iterate quickly, and graduate successful prototypes into production-ready services.

You will report to the Senior Manager, AI Developer Tools, and work closely with the team's Principal engineers, engineering leadership, product engineering teams, and platform teams across Docker.

What Would Make Someone Successful in This Role

You are a hands-on technical leader who works well at the intersection of AI, developer experience, and platform engineering. You have shipped production systems built on LLMs and AI agents, and you can explain what worked and what did not. You think in platforms: you design something once so that several teams can move faster. You have clear opinions about what makes a developer tool good, and sound judgment about when to build, when to integrate, and when not to do either.

You are comfortable in a fast-moving AI landscape and balance technical quality with shipping iteratively. Before you design, you ask about scale, users, and constraints rather than assuming them. You lead through influence and mentorship, and the engineers around you get better because you are on the team.

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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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.