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- Tasks: Lead the development of containerized AI agents and shape Docker's technical vision.
- Company: Join Docker, a global leader in app development with a remote-first culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible work, generous parental leave, and a tech stipend.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on the future of AI technology and developer experiences.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with strong Go expertise and leadership experience.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team with excellent growth opportunities and a focus on innovation.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
At Docker, we make app development easier so developers can focus on what matters. Our remote-first team spans the globe, united by a passion for innovation and great developer experiences. With over 20 million monthly users and 20 billion image pulls, Docker is the #1 tool for building, sharing, and running apps—trusted by startups and Fortune 100s alike. 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.
You will 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 will 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.
Responsibilities
- 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.
- Mentorship & Enablement: Mentor senior engineers, raise the bar through design reviews, and accelerate team execution through clear technical direction and coaching.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years in technical leadership roles.
- Go Expertise: Strong proficiency in Go - 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 To Expect
- 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 are solving.
- First 90 days: Lead significant platform features or architectural improvements to cagent and our containerized agent ecosystem.
- One-Year Outlook: Drive major architectural decisions for our containerized agent platform that will impact millions of Docker users.
Docker does not offer visa sponsorship for this role. Docker embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.
Principal Software Engineer, Docker Agents (London) employer: Docker, Inc
Contact Detail:
Docker, Inc Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer, Docker Agents (London)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current Docker employees on LinkedIn or at tech meetups. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which is always a bonus!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you've got a GitHub or personal project that showcases your expertise in Go or AI, make sure to highlight it during interviews. It’s a great way to demonstrate your hands-on experience.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on system design and architecture principles. Docker loves innovative thinkers, so be ready to discuss how you'd tackle building scalable systems.
✨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, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the Docker team!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Software Engineer, Docker Agents (London)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Innovation: When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for innovation shine through! We love seeing candidates who are excited about building great developer experiences and can articulate how they’ve contributed to similar projects in the past.
Highlight Your Technical Leadership: As a Principal Software Engineer, we want to see your experience in technical leadership. Make sure to showcase specific examples where you’ve defined technical strategies or led architectural decisions that had a significant impact on your team or project.
Demonstrate Your Go Expertise: Since Go is our primary language for backend systems, it’s crucial to highlight your proficiency in it. Share any relevant projects or contributions that demonstrate your skills in Go, especially in relation to container technology or AI development.
Engage with the Open Source Community: We value community engagement, so if you’ve contributed to open-source projects like cagent or others, make sure to mention it! This shows us that you’re not just a coder but someone who actively participates in the broader tech community.
How to prepare for a job interview at Docker, Inc
✨Know Your Docker Inside Out
Make sure you have a solid understanding of Docker and containerization best practices. Brush up on how Docker containers work, especially in relation to AI agents. Be ready to discuss your experience with Docker and how it can be leveraged for building scalable systems.
✨Showcase Your Go Expertise
Since Go is the primary language for backend systems at Docker, be prepared to demonstrate your proficiency. Bring examples of past projects where you've used Go effectively, particularly in technical leadership roles. This will show that you can contribute right from the start.
✨Engage with the Open Source Community
Familiarise yourself with the cagent project and its community. If possible, contribute to the project before your interview. This not only shows initiative but also gives you talking points about your understanding of the project and its goals during the interview.
✨Prepare for Technical Leadership Questions
Expect questions around defining technical strategies and leading architectural decisions. Think of specific instances where you've influenced technical direction or mentored others. Highlight your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, as this is crucial for cross-functional collaboration.