Principal Software Engineer, Networking

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and operate core networking services that power Docker's Sandboxes platform across local laptops and public cloud environments.
• Build scalable networking infrastructure for microVM orchestration, workload scheduling, and lifecycle management.
• Develop high-performance networking data- and control-plane components for multi-tenant agentic workloads.
• Ensure network reliability, observability, and performance across Docker's 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 local and public-cloud environments.
• Take part in on-call rotation for your team; respond to incidents and drive continuous improvement of system reliability and availability.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience building and leading large-scale cloud or distributed systems, with a focus on networking foundations.
• Track record of driving technical consensus and delivering high-quality infrastructure software at scale, on tight timelines.
• Experience with microservices architecture, container networking, service mesh, policy enforcement, and container orchestration.
• Experience with kernel and user-space networking technologies, including Linux networking, OVS/OVN, DPDK, and eBPF.
• Experience designing and operating highly available, secure, and observable networking infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI) 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.

Nice-to-Haves

• Deep technical expertise in infrastructure at scale, virtual networking, service mesh, orchestration, and integration across the broader infrastructure stack.

Compensation & Benefits

• United States: $198K – $319K + equity
• Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life.
• Designated quarterly Whaleness Days plus 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 you to take time to do the things you enjoy.
• Training stipend for conferences, courses and classes.
• Equity.
• Medical benefits, retirement and holidays vary by country.
• Remote-first culture, with offices in Seattle and Paris.