Staff 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

• 8+ 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.

What to Expect

First 30 days

• Onboard, integrate with our Sandbox infrastructure teams, and build context on Docker's Sandbox vision.
• Deep-dive into Sandbox architecture for local and public-cloud infrastructure, with a focus on driving simple, common foundational primitives usable across both environments.
• Identify the highest-leverage opportunities in the current architecture, along with strategic and tactical execution risks.

First 90 days

• Develop a technical roadmap to address the challenges identified; drive consensus across stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership to a small team of engineers to deliver on the roadmap.
• Establish or improve technical standards for development, deployment, operation, and observability of networking services.

One-year outlook

• Drive simplification of foundational networking infrastructure across local and public-cloud environments.
• Establish repeatable engineering practices for quality, performance, and operational excellence.
• Nurture the team's confidence and capability by providing clarity, sustaining focus, and delivering pragmatically through successive iteration.
• Set a standard for what a small team of engineers can deliver and manage when given a charter, autonomy, and the tools they need.

Compensation & Benefits

• United States: $170,350 – $275,550 + equity
• 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.
• Medical benefits, retirement and holidays vary by country.
• Remote-first culture, with offices in Seattle and Paris.