At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of containerized AI agents and shape Docker's technical vision.
- Company: Join Docker, a leading tech company revolutionising app development globally.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, flexible hours, generous parental leave, and a technology stipend.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to innovation and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in AI while working with cutting-edge technology and a passionate team.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with strong Go expertise and AI/ML knowledge.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ 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’re growing fast and just getting started. Come join us for a whale of a ride!
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.
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 (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.
Qualifications
- 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 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’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.
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. The more inclusive we are, the better our company will be.
Remote Principal Software Engineer, Docker Agents (London) in Maidstone employer: Docker
Docker is an exceptional employer that champions innovation and flexibility, offering a remote-first work culture that allows you to balance your professional and personal life seamlessly. With generous benefits such as 16 weeks of paid parental leave, a technology stipend, and opportunities for professional growth through training stipends, Docker empowers its employees to thrive while contributing to groundbreaking projects in the AI space. Join us in shaping the future of containerized applications and enjoy the perks of being part of a diverse and inclusive team dedicated to excellence.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Remote Principal Software Engineer, Docker Agents (London) in Maidstone
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Docker or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Docker.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Docker.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
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We think you need these skills to ace Remote Principal Software Engineer, Docker Agents (London) in Maidstone
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Docker.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Docker and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Docker
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Docker uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
