At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of containerized AI agents and shape Docker's technical vision.
- Company: Join a pioneering tech company at the forefront of AI and container technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborate with a dynamic team and engage with the open-source community.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact on the future of AI with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering, strong Go expertise, and leadership experience required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.
Requirements
- 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years in technical leadership roles (Staff/Principal level or equivalent scope)
- Go Expertise: Strong proficiency in Go (this is absolutely required) - Docker’s primary language for backend systems
- AI/ML Knowledge: Practical experience with large language models (LLMs) and agent development patterns
- System Architecture: Proven ability to design scalable, distributed systems in production environments
- Container Technology: Deep understanding of Docker, containerization best practices, and container orchestration
- Cloud/Platform Depth: Experience building and operating platform services with strong foundations in observability, CI/CD, and security principles
- Operational Excellence: Experience operating and evolving high-availability production systems with a focus on reliability and performance
- Influence & Communication: Exceptional communication skills and ability to influence across technical and business domains
- AI Frameworks: Experience with CrewAI, AGNO, ADK, LangChain/LangGraph or similar AI orchestration frameworks (preferred)
- Python Proficiency: Experience with Python for AI prototyping and tooling (preferred)
- Experience with Kubernetes or container orchestration platforms (preferred)
- Open source contributions and community engagement (preferred)
- Experience with agent evaluation, reliability, and observability techniques (preferred)
What the job involves
We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer (Docker Agents) to join Docker’s AI engineering team to build the future of containerized AI agents. Docker containers are the perfect vehicle to host and run AI agents—providing isolation, portability, and reproducibility. You’ll be working on cagent, our open-source project, and expanding on it to enable developers to build, deploy, and scale intelligent agents using Docker’s container technology. This is a greenfield opportunity to shape how developers leverage containers for AI agents at massive scale. You’ll define the technical vision, lead architecture decisions, and partner with engineers and leaders across Docker to bring containerized agent capabilities into Docker’s developer experience.
Technical Leadership & Architecture: Define and drive the long-term technical strategy for Docker’s containerized agent platform, including core primitives, APIs, and extensibility patterns.
Build Containerized Agent Systems: Design and implement systems that leverage Docker containers as the ideal runtime for AI agents, ensuring isolation, scalability, and portability.
Expand cagent: Maintain and evolve the open-source cagent project, adding new capabilities for containerized agent deployment, orchestration, and lifecycle management.
Agent Runtime Development: Build robust infrastructure for packaging, deploying, and managing agents in containers across local and cloud environments.
Evaluation & Testing: Define evaluation frameworks to measure agent quality, reliability, and production readiness; plus the deployment effectiveness of containerized runtimes.
Reliability & Operability: Establish standards for observability, performance, and operational excellence; lead critical production decision-making and incident learnings as needed.
Rapid Prototyping: Iterate quickly on new agent capabilities and deployment patterns, moving from concept to production efficiently.
Open Source Community: Engage with the cagent community, review contributions, and help grow the ecosystem.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Lead cross-functional technical discussions and influence architectural decisions across Docker’s AI initiatives (including sister teams and platform efforts).
Mentorship & Enablement: Mentor senior engineers, raise the bar through design reviews, and accelerate team execution through clear technical direction and coaching.
First 30 days: Integrate into our AI engineering team building containerized agent infrastructure. Deep dive into cagent’s architecture, project roadmap, and the developer problems we’re solving. Identify the highest-leverage architectural and execution risks/opportunities; align with stakeholders on priorities. Contribute initial improvements to cagent and the containerized agent runtime foundations.
First 90 days: Lead significant platform features or architectural improvements to cagent and our containerized agent ecosystem. Establish (or materially improve) technical standards for evaluation, reliability, and operability of agent systems. Drive alignment across internal teams on APIs, integration points, and a cohesive developer experience. Mentor engineers through design reviews and help accelerate onboarding and execution.
One-Year Outlook: Drive major architectural decisions for our containerized agent platform that will impact millions of Docker users. Shape the long-term technical vision and execution plan for Docker’s agent ecosystem (open-source and product surfaces). Establish repeatable engineering practices for quality, performance, and operational excellence in agent systems. Lead initiatives to expand containerized agent capabilities for enterprise use cases and broader platform integrations. Grow the team’s technical capabilities through mentorship, strategy, and pragmatic delivery.
Principal Software Engineer (Docker Agents) in London employer: Deepstreamtech
Docker is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration within the AI engineering team. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide opportunities for mentorship and leadership in cutting-edge projects like cagent, allowing you to shape the future of containerized AI agents. Located in a dynamic tech hub, Docker supports a flexible work environment and encourages contributions to open-source initiatives, making it an ideal place for passionate engineers looking to make a meaningful impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer (Docker Agents) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the industry. Attend meetups, webinars, or even local tech events. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly to hiring managers.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your projects, especially those involving Go, Docker, or AI/ML. Having tangible examples of your work can really set you apart when chatting with potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just apply blindly! Tailor your approach for each company. Research their culture, values, and recent projects. When you reach out, mention specific things about them that excite you—this shows you’re genuinely interested and not just sending out mass applications.
✨Tip Number 4
Leverage our website! We’ve got loads of resources and job listings that can help you land that Principal Software Engineer role. Plus, applying through us means you’ll be part of a community that’s all about growth and support in your career journey.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Software Engineer (Docker Agents) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Go Skills:Make sure to highlight your strong proficiency in Go, as it's a must-have for this role. Share specific projects or experiences where you've used Go to solve complex problems, especially in the context of Docker or containerization.
Demonstrate Your Leadership Experience:Since we're looking for someone with technical leadership experience, don't shy away from showcasing your past roles. Talk about how you've influenced teams, made architectural decisions, and mentored others in your previous positions.
Connect Your AI/ML Knowledge:If you've got practical experience with AI/ML, especially with large language models or agent development patterns, make it known! Relate your experience to how it can benefit our containerized agent systems.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to see your application and get you into our hiring process smoothly. Plus, it shows you're keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Deepstreamtech
✨Master the Go Language
Since strong proficiency in Go is absolutely required, make sure you brush up on your Go skills. Prepare to discuss your past projects and how you've used Go to solve complex problems, especially in relation to Docker and containerization.
✨Showcase Your AI/ML Knowledge
Be ready to talk about your practical experience with large language models and agent development patterns. Highlight any relevant projects or contributions you've made, particularly those that demonstrate your understanding of AI frameworks like CrewAI or LangChain.
✨Demonstrate System Architecture Skills
Prepare examples of scalable, distributed systems you've designed and operated. Discuss the challenges you faced and how you ensured reliability and performance in production environments, as this will be crucial for the role.
✨Engage with the Open Source Community
Since you'll be working on the cagent project, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with it beforehand. Engage with the community, review contributions, and be prepared to discuss how you can help grow the ecosystem and improve the project.
