Staff / Principal

Docker is a developer tools company trusted by over 20 million monthly users and 20 billion container image pulls. Their products include Docker Desktop, Docker Hub, and Docker Scout. They are a globally distributed, remote-first team.

We are looking for a Staff Backend Engineer with extensive experience in distributed systems, large-scale backend architecture, and high-volume storage systems. You will own systems end-to-end—from schema design and API architecture to deployment, observability, and operational excellence. You will collaborate across engineering, SRE, Product, and Design while acting as a technical leader.

• Architect, build, and operate high-scale distributed systems powering Docker Hub’s registry platform—spanning artifact storage, metadata services, indexing workflows, and performance-critical APIs.
• Lead design and implementation of backend services with emphasis on scalability, correctness, resilience, and performance.
• Drive initiatives around multi-region replication, caching strategies, request-path optimization, and core registry reliability.
• Design, optimize, and operate data and storage layers for relational, NoSQL, and object storage.
• Develop schemas and data models for high-throughput, large-volume workloads.
• Improve performance and reliability of one of the world’s largest repositories of container images.
• Enhance observability through metrics, traces, alerting, and dashboards.
• Lead improvements to deployment and operational tooling (e.g., Argo CD, GitHub Actions).
• Participate in on-call rotations.
• Mentor engineers and lead design and architecture reviews.
• Partner with Product, Design, SRE, and Platform teams.
• Engage with open-source communities and cloud-native partners.

• 8+ years backend engineering experience with deep expertise in distributed systems and large-scale backend architectures.
• Strong production experience with Golang, including designing and operating large Go-based services in cloud environments.
• Strong production experience with Kubernetes, including operating services at scale.
• Experience designing and running high-scale storage systems (PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, or equivalent) in production.
• Experience building and operating cloud-based services (AWS preferred).
• Experience with event-driven or streaming systems, such as Kafka, SNS/SQS, or equivalent.
• Strong foundation in software engineering best practices: design documentation, testing strategies, CI/CD, code review, observability.
• Comfortable functioning autonomously in a fully distributed, remote-first team.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Experience with OCI registries, artifact stores, or large-scale content distribution systems.
• Familiarity with search/indexing systems or metadata-rich architectures.
• Contributions to cloud-native or open-source ecosystems.

United States: $170,350 – $275,550 + equity

• Remote-first by design – Work from your home, with offices in Seattle and Paris for connection and collaboration.
• Flexibility that fits your life – We trust you to manage your schedule while delivering great work.
• Time to recharge – Generous PTO, designated quarterly Whaleness Days, and a designated end-of-year Whaleness break.
• Home office support – Set up your workspace for comfort and success.
• Technology stipend – Equivalent to US$100 net per month to help support your work.
• Learning & development – Annual stipend for conferences, courses, certifications, and continued learning.
• Parental leave – 16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment.
• Equity for all full-time employees – Share in Docker's long-term success.
• Comprehensive benefits – Medical, retirement, and paid holidays vary by country.
• Docker swag – Because representing the whale never gets old.

Apply via the provided link.