Principal Backend Engineer, Hub (US East Coast)
About Docker
Docker has been one of the most loved brands in developer tooling, trusted by more than 20 million monthly users and over 20 billion container image pulls. From solo founders to the world's largest companies, developers rely on Docker to build, share, and run their applications across our suite of products including Docker Desktop, Docker Hub, and Docker Scout.
We are a globally distributed, remote-first team building the tools that define how software gets built and delivered. As AI agents redefine software development, Docker is at the center of that shift, providing the sandboxed environments, verified images, and secure infrastructure that make autonomous workflows trustworthy by default.
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We’re looking for a Principal 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.
The work is highly dynamic, and you will operate in a fast-paced environment where we continuously evolve the platform to support enormous growth in traffic, data, and global usage. You’ll collaborate across engineering, SRE, Product, and Design while acting as a technical leader who simplifies complexity, elevates engineering quality, and improves a globally critical developer platform.
If you’re passionate about building and operating massive-scale distributed systems with huge data and throughput demands, this role is for you.
Responsibilities
Distributed Systems & Backend Engineering
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 the design and implementation of backend services with a strong emphasis on scalability, correctness, resilience, and performance.
Drive major initiatives around multi-region replication, caching strategies, request-path optimization, and core registry reliability.
Data Infrastructure & Storage
Design, optimize, operate the data and storage layers - for both Relational and NoSql as well as object storage and related technologies.
Develop schemas and data models to support high-throughput, large-volume workloads.
Own systems end-to-end-from storage-layer behavior to API design, deployment workflows, and production monitoring.
Operations, Observability & Scale
Improve the performance and reliability of one of the world’s largest repositories of container images.
Develop and 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 as part of supporting critical production services.
Leadership & Collaboration
Mentor engineers and lead design and architecture reviews.
Partner with Product, Design, SRE, and Platform teams to deliver high-impact projects.
Engage with open-source communities, cloud-native partners, and the broader ecosystem.
This role may require participation in an on-call rotation to provide support outside of standard business hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as needed.
Qualifications
Required
10+ 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 and working effectively in a fast-paced environment.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
Nice to Have
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.
What We’re Looking For
An engineer with deep experience in distributed systems and large-scale storage
Someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and consistently optimizes for reliability, automation, and performance.
A technical leader who takes ownership of complex systems and drives long-term architectural direction.
An engineer energised by the challenges of operating a global developer platform at massive scale.
Docker considers visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis based on business needs.
Compensation & Equity
United States: $170,350 - $275,550 + equity
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Posting Information
Open vacancy: This posting is for an existing open role.
AI in hiring: Docker may use AI-assisted tools during our recruiting process.
Interview recordings: Candidates will be invited to opt in to interview recordings to support interviewer calibration and consistent evaluations. Recordings are optional and require explicit consent.
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Perks & Benefits
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 as we continue to grow.
Comprehensive benefits - Medical, retirement, and paid holidays vary by country.
Docker swag - Because representing the whale never gets old.
Docker is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe diverse teams build better products, make better decisions, and better serve our global community.