Docker

Senior Software Engineer, Secure Build

Docker$160K — $260K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years of software engineering experience, with a track record in production systems at scale.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
  • Strong backend engineering experience with distributed systems in production.
  • Production experience with Go; ability to write, test, review, and debug Go services.
  • Experience with containers and CI systems like OCI, BuildKit, or GitHub Actions.
  • Experience with cloud-native infrastructure on a major cloud platform.
  • Strong operational mindset focused on observability, reliability, and incident response.
  • Familiarity with security practices and software supply-chain risks.
  • Strong product mindset with a focus on developer workflows and software agent experiences.
  • Excellent written and spoken communication skills suitable for a remote environment.

Responsibilities

  • Transform developer and security challenges into clear technical requirements and outcomes.
  • Design, build, and operate Go services and APIs for Docker's build and CI infrastructure.
  • Develop features for isolation and security in build and test workflows.
  • Utilize container and cloud technologies to deliver secure workflows.
  • Own features from design to production, including maintenance and incident response.
  • Enhance the reliability of Docker Build Cloud and Auto Builds while evolving their capabilities.
  • Make pragmatic security trade-offs using threat modeling as a guide.
  • Foster clear communication regarding decisions and progress in a remote setting.

Benefits

  • Flexible work schedule to fit your life.
  • Designated quarterly Whaleness Days and an end-of-year break.
  • Home office setup support for comfortable work environment.
  • 16 weeks of paid parental leave after 6 months of employment.
  • Monthly technology stipend of $100 USD net.
  • Encouraging PTO plan for personal enjoyment activities.
  • Training stipend for professional development and courses.
  • Equity opportunities in a growing start-up environment.
  • Docker swag and merchandise.
  • Medical benefits, retirement plans, and holidays vary by country.
Full Job Description
The Secure Build team builds and operates the infrastructure behind Docker's container builds. The team owns Docker Build Cloud and Auto Builds while developing the next generation of trusted build and CI capabilities.

Software is being changed faster than ever, but CI remains a bottleneck and a major trust boundary. Developers and software agents need to run build and test work quickly without exposing secrets, losing local-to-cloud parity or accepting an unverifiable result. Our direction is to make Docker the trusted place CI runs and turn that constraint into an accelerator.

The technical work spans Go services, container and build technology, cloud infrastructure, isolated execution and software supply-chain security. It also requires disciplined operation of the production systems customers rely on today. Docker Build Cloud and Auto Builds will need targeted reliability and operational improvements while useful capabilities evolve towards a coherent Secure Build platform.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will turn these problems into practical product and technical outcomes. You will own substantial work from discovery and design through production, make sound security and reliability trade-offs, and stay close to the experience of developers and the agents they delegate work to.

We make extensive use of AI-assisted engineering tools. We expect engineers to use them thoughtfully, validate their output and remain accountable for the quality and security of what ships.

Success in This Role Looks Like

You will succeed by becoming an end-to-end owner for secure, reliable build infrastructure. Within your first year, you should have delivered a material secure-build or CI capability, reduced operational risk in Docker Build Cloud or Auto Builds, and become a trusted partner to the teams and customers that consume the platform.

Responsibilities
  • Turn developer, agent and security problems into clear requirements, staged technical decisions and measurable outcomes.
  • Design, build and operate Go services and APIs that power Docker's build and secure-CI infrastructure.
  • Develop isolation, identity, policy, provenance, attestation and signing capabilities for trusted build and test jobs.
  • Work with container, OCI, BuildKit, cloud and isolated-execution technologies to deliver secure and reproducible workflows.
  • Own features from technical design through rollout, observability, incident response and ongoing maintenance.
  • Keep Docker Build Cloud and Auto Builds reliable, make targeted improvements that reduce operational load, and help their capabilities evolve towards the wider Secure Build direction.
  • Make practical security trade-offs and use threat modelling to guide designs without blocking delivery.
  • Design for a clear developer experience, including workflows initiated or consumed by software agents.
  • Partner with Product, Security, Developer Experience, Registry and other platform teams on end-to-end customer workflows.
  • Participate in the team's paid on-call rotation and drive improvements from incidents and recurring operational work.
  • Communicate decisions, risks and progress clearly in a remote, async-first environment.


Qualifications
Required
  • 6+ years of software engineering experience, with demonstrated technical leadership on production systems at scale.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
  • Strong backend engineering experience building and operating distributed systems in production.
  • Production experience with Go and the ability to write, test, review and debug maintainable Go services.
  • Experience with containers and build or CI systems, such as OCI, BuildKit, Buildx, GitHub Actions or comparable platforms.
  • Experience with cloud-native infrastructure and a major cloud platform.
  • A strong operational mindset covering observability, reliability, incident response and on-call ownership.
  • Evidence of taking a feature or service from an ambiguous problem through production operation and measurable results.
  • Working knowledge of security boundaries, identity, secrets and common software supply-chain risks.
  • A strong product mindset and care for developer workflows, including experiences used by software agents.
  • Clear written and spoken communication suited to a remote, async-first company.
Helpful, but not required
  • Experience with Kubernetes.
  • Experience with SLSA, in-toto, SBOM, VEX, Sigstore, cosign, provenance or artefact signing.
  • Experience with sandboxing, microVMs, untrusted workload execution or multi-tenant infrastructure.
  • Experience building hosted CI runners, remote builders or developer-platform infrastructure.
  • Experience with agentic development workflows or building systems used programmatically by software agents.
  • Experience evolving a legacy production system while delivering new capabilities.


What to Expect
First 30 Days
  • Build context on Docker Build Cloud, Auto Builds and the Secure Build product and technical direction.
  • Pair with the Secure Build team on core services, deployments and operational practices.
  • Ship a useful production change and take part in an operational review or incident-learning session.
  • Understand the secure-CI threat model and build relationships with DHI, Registry and Developer Experience.
First 90 Days
  • Own a secure-build feature or reliability improvement from problem definition through production.
  • Contribute materially to the secure-CI architecture, including isolation, identity, policy or signed evidence.
  • Deliver an observable improvement to the reliability or operability of an existing build service.
  • Demonstrate strong product judgement across developer and agent workflows.
One Year Outlook (First Year)
  • Be a trusted senior technical owner on the Secure Build team.
  • Deliver a material secure-CI or trusted-build capability used by customers or internal product teams.
  • Improve the reliability and maintainability of Docker Build Cloud and Auto Builds while helping their useful capabilities converge with the wider platform.
  • Contribute to the team's architecture for isolated execution, brokered access and verifiable build outcomes.
  • Help establish strong product, design, review and operational practices as the team grows.

Docker considers visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis based on business needs.

Compensation & Equity

EU: 94,040 - 55,650+ equity

United States: $160,900 - $260,700 + equity

Perks
  • 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
  • Docker Swag
  • Medical benefits, retirement and holidays vary by country
  • Remote-first culture, with offices in Seattle and Paris


#LI-REMOTE

About Docker

Docker is a software company that provides an open platform for developers and sysadmins to build, ship, and run distributed applications. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Docker's platform allows developers to package their applications and dependencies into a single container, which can then be easily deployed to any environment. This makes it easier for developers to build and deploy applications, and helps to reduce the time and cost associated with managing complex application environments. Docker has a global presence, with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Learn more about Docker
Size
1,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2010

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