# Principal Software Engineer, Developer Tools
**Company:** [Docker](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/docker)
**Location:** Remote
**Salary:** $198K-$319K
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** Kubernetes, Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, Go, Rust, Java, Python, CI/CD, GitOps, LLM APIs, Ai Agent Development, Observability Systems, Platform Engineering, Developer Portals
**Posted:** 2026-06-26
> Principal Software Engineer defining technical vision and architecture for Docker's internal developer tooling platform, covering platform engineering, CI/CD, and AI-powered tools. Requires 10+ years experience with 3+ years at Staff/Principal level, deep expertise in CI/CD, Kubernetes, observability, and AI/LLM integration.
## Job Description
## Responsibilities

### Technical Leadership & Architecture
- Define the long-term technical vision and architecture for Docker's developer tooling platform spanning platform engineering, CI/CD, and AI-powered tools
- Lead authoring of SDLC tenets in partnership with other principal engineers, Security, and Infrastructure; build mechanisms those tenets bind to (design gates, code review gates, pipeline standards, visibility)
- Establish architectural patterns, technical standards, and best practices across the developer tooling stack
- Design highly available, scalable infrastructure for hosting developer tools, agents, and platform services
- Drive technical decisions on tooling choices, provider strategies, build/deploy substrate, and agent orchestration frameworks
- Partner with Senior Manager and product leadership to align technical architecture with business objectives and productization opportunities

### Systems Design & Implementation
- Architect and build Docker's internal developer platform, the self-service substrate enabling teams to scaffold, deploy, and operate services with minimal friction
- Design and implement CI/CD and build infrastructure that supports Docker's SDLC tenets and GitOps deployment patterns
- Establish reliability, security, and performance standards across developer tooling including SLOs, monitoring, incident response, and cost management
- Design integration points between developer tools and existing infrastructure (CI/CD pipelines, observability platforms, deployment systems)

### Strategic Impact & Innovation
- Evaluate emerging technologies across developer tooling, platform engineering, AI/LLM, and agent frameworks to inform Docker's technical strategy
- Define and enforce the golden path for how Docker builds software; identify where tooling closes gaps vs. where human process does
- Drive technical standards for measuring developer tool effectiveness: adoption metrics, productivity gains, pipeline performance, and developer satisfaction
- Lead cross-functional technical discussions influencing company-wide developer tooling architecture
- Define technical approach for productizing successful internal developer tools into customer-facing offerings

### Leadership & Mentorship
- Mentor senior and staff engineers on platform engineering, CI/CD patterns, design, and AI/LLM integration
- Lead design reviews and technical decision-making across all developer tooling work
- Foster culture of technical excellence, experimentation, and rapid prototyping within the Developer Tools team
- Serve as primary technical contact and thought leader for developer tooling across Docker's engineering organization
- Collaborate with platform teams (Infrastructure, Security, Agentic Platform, Supply Chain Security) to establish shared technical standards and integration patterns

## Requirements
- 10+ years software engineering experience with 3+ years in Staff or Principal Engineer roles
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
- Proven track record architecting and operating developer-facing platforms, internal tools, or developer productivity systems at scale
- Deep expertise in CI/CD systems, build infrastructure, and GitOps deployment patterns
- Production experience with cloud-native infrastructure including Kubernetes, observability systems (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki), and deployment tooling
- Experience designing self-service platforms, developer portals, or golden path tooling that enable other teams to move faster
- Working knowledge of AI/ML technologies and hands-on experience with LLM APIs or AI agent development
- Proficiency in Go (preferred), Rust, Java, or Python with strong software engineering fundamentals
- Exceptional product and platform mindset considering developer experience, business outcomes, and technical/security trade-offs
- Strong communication skills with ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Track record of technical mentorship and elevating engineering teams' capabilities
- Ownership mentality with bias for action and iterative delivery in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
- Comfortable with autonomous work in distributed, remote-first teams across multiple time zones

## Preferred
- Experience with MCP (Model Context Protocol) or similar AI agent integration standards
- Background in DevOps, SRE, or platform engineering domains
- Contributions to open source projects

This role may require participation in an on-call rotation.
**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/principal-software-engineer-developer-tools-at-docker-09963367-9839-4189-9d55-d1419de9c6c2
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/principal-software-engineer-developer-tools-at-docker-09963367-9839-4189-9d55-d1419de9c6c2