At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and implementation of a secure platform for open-source libraries.
- Company: Join Chainguard, a leader in secure software development.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible remote work, health insurance, and generous parental leave.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on software security while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in infrastructure, strong Go skills, and CI/CD experience required.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for professional growth and mentorship.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
The role
Chainguard’s Libraries organization builds a secure, reliable factory that continuously builds, verifies, and serves open-source libraries to customers and internal teams across multiple ecosystems. You’ll join as a Staff Software Engineer on the Libraries Platform team, leading the architecture and implementation of the platform that powers this factory: the services, APIs, and automation that make our libraries reproducible, trustworthy, and always up to date. This is an infrastructure-centric, platform role. You’ll work on shared services, build and packaging pipelines, and a package index that serves external customers and internal ecosystem teams. You’ll help invent and operate the platform that:
- Serves packages to customers at scale
- Automates CVE remediation and verification workflows
What you’ll do
- Design and maintain automation for artifact creation, updates, and verification, including vulnerability scanning, remediation workflows, SBOM and provenance generation, and policy enforcement across our library catalog.
- Build and operate shared platform services such as package indexes, registry mirrors, metadata services, and orchestration tooling that serve both external customers and internal ecosystem teams.
- Develop internal developer tools and CLIs (often in Go) that improve how we build, test, and ship libraries at scale, including integration with build systems and CI/CD for multiple ecosystems.
- Drive reliability, scalability, and observability for the Libraries platform: define SLOs, build monitoring and alerting, and lead incident response and post-incident improvements.
- Solve complex dependency and build issues in production environments, from toolchain and compiler problems to CI/CD flakiness and registry/package index edge cases.
- Mentor and unblock other engineers through design reviews, documentation, and hands-on debugging, helping to “code culture” into how we build and run our libraries platform.
What we’re looking for
- 8+ years designing, building, and operating infrastructure for language ecosystems or developer platforms, such as build systems, package registries, or CI/CD for widely used libraries or services.
- Strong proficiency in Go (Golang) or strong readiness to ramp quickly.
- Proven track record building and owning developer tooling and automation (plugins, CLIs, code generators, or custom pipelines) that improve how engineers build and ship software at scale.
- Strong background in CI/CD, cloud-native infrastructure, and IaC: containers (Docker/OCI, Kubernetes), public cloud (GCP, AWS, Azure), and tools like Terraform and GitHub Actions/Argo/Tekton (or equivalents).
- Demonstrated ability to debug and resolve complex toolchain, compiler, packaging, and infrastructure failures in production, and to drive those issues to root cause and lasting fixes.
- Comfortable working across SRE / platform / DevOps style responsibilities, including reliability, observability, and performance tuning for critical services and pipelines.
- Excellent communication in a remote, distributed environment, with a bias toward documentation, clarity, and collaboration across product, infra, and security teams.
- A staff-level ownership mindset: you set technical direction, own critical outcomes, and are comfortable in an early, high-impact area where engineers help shape both the roadmap and the culture.
Nice to have
- Experience with software supply chain security: SLSA, SBOMs, sigstore, provenance, attestations, or secure-by-default packaging practices.
- Background with Linux distributions, packaging, and reproducible build systems (e.g., Alpine, Wolfi, Debian Bazel, CMake, Ninja).
- Familiarity with AI/ML packaging and infrastructure building native Python libraries and ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and deploying them in cloud/Kubernetes environments.
- Prior experience in SRE, platform engineering, or DevOps roles where you owned infrastructure for developer productivity, CI/CD, or large language-ecosystem codebases.
About Us
Chainguard is the secure foundation for software development and deployment. By providing guarded open source software, built from source and updated continuously, Chainguard helps organizations eliminate threats in their software supply chains. Founded by industry leaders in open source software, security, and cloud-native development, Chainguard has built the largest library of open source software that is secure by default. Our mission is to be the safe source for open source.
Values and benefits
We live and breathe our company values:
- We are customer obsessed — We focus on delivering solutions to our customers that create value and make their lives better.
- We have a bias for intentional action — We prioritize, plan, try things, and fail fast.
- We don’t take ourselves too seriously (but we do serious work) — We are solving an important problem which takes focus, but we also like to enjoy the journey.
- We trust each other and assume good intentions — We’re transparent with decisions to empower team members to make well informed decisions.
Benefits
- Flexible & Remote-First Culture: Work remotely with team meetup opportunities, bi-annual destination summits, and a monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone and internet costs.
- Our Approach to Equity: Stock options on hire and promotion, plus options in secondary offerings and 10-year exercise window.
- 100% Covered Health Insurance: 100% of health, vision and dental premiums for you and dependents.
- ∞ Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need to do your best work.
- 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with flexible usage.
EEO and application notes
Chainguard is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, protected veteran status, disability status, genetic information, political views or activity, or other legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories where permitted by law. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Chainguard will process your personal data in accordance with Chainguard’s Privacy Policy.
Staff Software Engineer (Libraries- Platform) United Kingdom - Remote in London employer: Chainguard, Inc.
Contact Detail:
Chainguard, Inc. Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Software Engineer (Libraries- Platform) United Kingdom - Remote in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repo showcasing your projects, especially those related to CI/CD and infrastructure. It’s a great way to demonstrate what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common technical questions and scenarios. Think about how you’d tackle real-world problems, especially around automation and reliability in platforms.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Software Engineer (Libraries- Platform) United Kingdom - Remote in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Staff Software Engineer role. Highlight your experience with infrastructure, CI/CD, and any relevant tools like Go, Docker, or Kubernetes.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about building secure software and how your background makes you a great fit for our Libraries Platform team. Be genuine and let your personality shine through!
Showcase Your Projects: If you've worked on relevant projects, whether personal or professional, make sure to include them. We love seeing real-world applications of your skills, especially in developer tooling and automation.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Chainguard, Inc.
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Go and CI/CD tools. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud-native infrastructure and be ready to discuss how you've used these technologies in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of complex issues you've resolved in production environments. Highlight your experience with debugging toolchain problems or CI/CD flakiness, as this will demonstrate your ability to tackle challenges head-on.
✨Emphasise Collaboration and Communication
Since this role involves working in a remote environment, be ready to discuss how you’ve effectively communicated and collaborated with distributed teams. Share examples of how you’ve documented processes or mentored other engineers to foster a strong team culture.
✨Align with Company Values
Familiarise yourself with Chainguard’s values and think about how your own work ethic aligns with them. Be prepared to discuss how you prioritise customer needs, take intentional action, and maintain a positive attitude while tackling serious challenges.