At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build internal platform services to enhance developer productivity and streamline software delivery.
- Company: Join Chainguard, a leader in secure software development and deployment.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible remote work, 100% health coverage, and generous parental leave.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by optimising CI/CD systems and enabling fast, secure software shipping.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in cloud infrastructure, proficiency in Go, and strong collaboration skills.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team that values innovation and personal growth.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 ÂŁ per year.
Weâre looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join our Developer Platform team. This team is responsible for building the "Factory" that powers Chainguard Engineering, focusing on the infrastructure and tooling that allows our developers to ship secure software at scale. This is a highly impactful, highly visible role where your mission is to eliminate developer toil and accelerate our path to production. You will design and build the internal platform foundations including Agentic AI-first workflows and high-performance CI/CD systems that ensure our delivery pipeline is reliable, observable, and fast. Weâre looking for someone who cares deeply about engineering velocity and is energized by building the core systems that enable an entire organization to move quickly.
What Youâll Do
- Design, build, and evolve internal platform services by understanding how Chainguard engineers use shared infrastructure, ensuring our "Factory" capabilities work seamlessly across the organization.
- Implement agent observability by capturing and analyzing structured traces, making AI-driven workflows (like automated CVE remediation) debuggable and reliable in production.
- Optimize our monorepo CI/CD pipeline to maintain high-performance DORA metrics, focusing on improving build stability and reducing flake rates.
- Master context engineering by validating patterns for agent skills and memory, enabling agents to make consistent decisions across complex engineering workflows.
- Contribute to a productivity-driven roadmap with clear outcomes, helping the team prioritize tradeoffs to remove "shadow production" risks and deliver standardized "paved road" blueprints.
What Weâre Looking For
- 8+ years of experience building production services and infrastructure in a modern cloud environment.
- Proficiency with Go (Golang) or strong readiness to ramp quickly.
- Deep technical expertise in scaling container-based orchestration and workflow engines to automate the software delivery lifecycle, ensuring the underlying 'Factory' infrastructure is as robust as the products it builds.
- Familiarity with Agentic AI or automation workflows and a passion to master context engineering (RAG, memory, and tool-calling) to scale AI agents in a production engineering environment.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to work with engineers across the company to identify and automate away repetitive manual tasks.
- A genuine interest in a high-paced, high-intensity, âship itâ culture where youâre self-directed, comfortable with ambiguity, and focused on data-driven improvements to product delivery.
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 the industry's leading experts on open source software, security and cloud native development, Chainguard has built the largest library of open source software that is secure by default. Chainguardâs mission is to be the safe source for open source.
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 donât 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 - Weâre transparent with decisions to empower team members to make well informed decisions.
A Few Of The Benefits We Offer
- 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: Receive stock options upon hire and promotion. Plus, you can participate in secondary offerings and have 10 years to exercise your options.
- 100% Covered Health Insurance: We cover 100% of your health, vision and dental insurance premiums for you and your dependents.
- â Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need â to do our best work, we need to recharge and reset.
- 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: We offer 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with the option to use it all at once or throughout your childâs first year.
If your experience is close but doesnât fulfill all requirements, please apply. Weâre building the best team in technology and are focused on hiring âChainguardians" with unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Chainguard is an equal opportunity employer.
Staff Software Engineer (Platform) employer: Chainguard
Contact Detail:
Chainguard Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice đ€«
We think this is how you could land Staff Software Engineer (Platform)
âšTip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at Chainguard on LinkedIn or other platforms. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for landing the Staff Software Engineer role. Personal connections can give you an edge!
âšTip Number 2
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your Go (Golang) skills and understanding CI/CD pipelines. Practice coding challenges and system design questions that relate to building robust infrastructure. We want to see your problem-solving skills in action!
âšTip Number 3
Showcase your passion for automation and AI-driven workflows during interviews. Share examples of how you've optimised processes in previous roles. This will demonstrate your alignment with our mission to eliminate developer toil and enhance engineering velocity.
âšTip Number 4
Donât forget to apply through our website! Itâs the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows youâre genuinely interested in joining the Chainguard team. Letâs get you on board!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Software Engineer (Platform)
Some tips for your application đ«Ą
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Staff Software Engineer role. Highlight your experience with cloud environments, CI/CD systems, and any relevant projects that showcase your ability to build robust infrastructure.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about the Developer Platform team and how your background makes you a great fit. Share specific examples of how you've eliminated developer toil or improved engineering velocity in past roles.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Donât just list your technical skills; demonstrate them! Include links to projects, GitHub repositories, or any contributions to open source that highlight your proficiency in Go, container orchestration, or automation workflows.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. Itâs the best way for us to receive your application and ensures youâre considered for the role. Plus, it shows youâre keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Chainguard
âšKnow Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of Go (Golang) and any relevant cloud infrastructure technologies. Be ready to discuss your past experiences in building production services and how you've tackled challenges in scaling container-based orchestration.
âšShowcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare examples of how you've optimised CI/CD pipelines or improved build stability in previous roles. Highlight specific metrics or outcomes that demonstrate your impact, as this will resonate well with the teamâs focus on engineering velocity.
âšCommunicate Clearly and Collaboratively
Since the role involves working closely with engineers across the company, practice articulating your thoughts clearly. Be prepared to discuss how you've collaborated in the past to automate repetitive tasks and improve workflows.
âšEmbrace the Company Culture
Chainguard values a 'ship it' culture, so express your enthusiasm for fast-paced environments. Share your experiences where youâve thrived under pressure and how you approach ambiguity with a positive mindset.