Principal Software Engineer, Docker Agents (London)
Docker is hiring a Principal Software Engineer for its AI engineering team to build the future of containerized AI agents, working on and expanding Docker Agent, the company's open-source project, so developers can build, deploy, and scale intelligent agents with Docker's container technology. This greenfield role carries the technical vision: you will lead architecture decisions, define the long-term strategy for the containerized agent platform, and partner with engineers and leaders across Docker. The role is only available to candidates located in London or within reasonable commuting distance, is remote-first with a flexible hybrid arrangement, and does not include visa sponsorship.
Responsibilities
- ▹Define and drive the long-term technical strategy for Docker's containerized agent platform, including core primitives, APIs, and extensibility patterns
- ▹Design and implement systems that leverage Docker containers as the runtime for AI agents, ensuring isolation, scalability, and portability
- ▹Maintain and evolve the open-source cagent project: containerized agent deployment, orchestration, and lifecycle management
- ▹Build robust infrastructure for packaging, deploying, and managing agents in containers across local and cloud environments
- ▹Define evaluation frameworks to measure agent quality, reliability, production readiness, and deployment effectiveness
- ▹Establish standards for observability, performance, and operational excellence; lead critical production decision-making and incident learnings
- ▹Iterate quickly on new agent capabilities and deployment patterns, from concept to production
- ▹Engage with the Docker Agent community, review contributions, and help grow the ecosystem
- ▹Lead cross-functional technical discussions and influence architectural decisions across Docker's AI initiatives
- ▹Mentor senior engineers, raise the bar through design reviews, and accelerate team execution through clear technical direction and coaching
- ▹Participate in an on-call rotation as needed, including evenings, weekends, and holidays
Requirements
- ▹10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years in technical leadership roles (Staff/Principal level or equivalent scope)
- ▹Strong proficiency in Go is highly desired (or the ability and willingness to ramp up, as Go is Docker's primary backend language)
- ▹Practical experience with large language models (LLMs) and agent development patterns; hands-on experience using AI for software development
- ▹Proven ability to design scalable, distributed systems in production environments
- ▹Deep understanding of Docker, containerization best practices, and container orchestration
- ▹Experience building and operating platform services with strong foundations in observability, CI/CD, and security principles
- ▹Experience operating and evolving high-availability production systems with a focus on reliability and performance
- ▹Currently located in London or within reasonable commuting distance
Nice to have
- ▹Experience with CrewAI, AGNO, ADK, LangChain/LangGraph or similar AI orchestration frameworks
- ▹Experience with Python for AI prototyping and tooling
- ▹Experience with Kubernetes or container orchestration platforms
- ▹Open source contributions and community engagement
- ▹Experience with agent evaluation, reliability, and observability techniques
Soft skills
What we offer
- ▹Freedom and flexibility to fit work around your life
- ▹Designated quarterly Whaleness Days plus an end-of-year Whaleness break
- ▹Home office setup
- ▹16 weeks of paid parental leave (after 6 months of employment)
- ▹Technology stipend equivalent to $100 USD net/month
- ▹PTO plan that encourages taking time off
- ▹Training stipend for conferences, courses, and classes
- ▹Equity in a growing start-up
- ▹Docker swag
- ▹Medical benefits, retirement, and holidays varying by country
- ▹Remote-first culture with offices in Seattle and Paris
About the company
Docker is one of the most loved brands in developer tooling, trusted by more than 20 million monthly users with over 20 billion container image pulls. Developers rely on Docker Desktop, Docker Hub, and Docker Scout to build, share, and run applications. Docker is a globally distributed, remote-first team, and as AI agents redefine software development, it provides the sandboxed environments, verified images, and secure infrastructure that make autonomous workflows trustworthy by default.