Senior Manager, Engineering, Local Runtime (Central or East Coast Time Zone)
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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The Runtime team is building Docker's runtime for AI workloads-a cross-platform foundation that delivers strong isolation and enterprise governance at every layer.
The team owns a custom VMM, a full container stack, and deep OS integration across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
This technology is the core of Docker's new sbx product, which enables AI agents and workloads to run safely and at scale. In this role, you would manage this team, owning its technical direction and delivery and being accountable for its operational excellence.
The successful candidate for this role is a hands-on systems engineer at heart, and has a strong background in systems engineering.
They have worked deep in the stack-hypervisors, container runtimes, OS internals, kernel development-and use that experience to guide their team to sound architectural decisions and a high engineering bar.
They are skilled at growing and retaining senior individual contributors, thrive in a remote-first environment, and bring the same curiosity and craft to engineering leadership that they once brought to the code itself.
They stay close to customers-not because they're told to, but because they know that the gap between elegant internals and something people actually trust is where the real work happens.
Please note: this role is only open to candidates currently living and working in the East Coast or Central time zones of the US or Canada. We are unable to make an exception to this location requirement - thanks!
Responsibilities
Lead a team of 6-10 engineers building Docker's cross-platform runtime across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Own the technical direction and roadmap.
Partner closely with product management to align the team with business and product goals.
Ensure predictable delivery and operational excellence across the components the team ships.
Hire and retain top systems engineering talent.
Hold a high bar for engineering excellence.
Facilitate communication across teams and provide status reporting for critical projects.
Qualifications
3+ years experience managing high-performing engineering teams.
3+ years of hands-on systems programming experience (hypervisors, container runtimes, OS internals, kernel development, or similar low-level infrastructure).
8+ years of professional, hands-on, full-time software engineering experience in backend, infrastructure, or platform engineering.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
Deep understanding of virtualization concepts: VMMs, hypervisors, and hardware-assisted virtualization.
Experience with container runtimes (OCI, containerd, runc) or equivalent low-level infrastructure.
Cross-platform systems experience across two or more of: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Comfortable with a high degree of autonomy and the ability to work remotely across time zones.
What to Expect
First 30 Days
Understand the group and team missions.
Meet the team along with peers across the group and the company.
Start line managing reports and building a rapport.
Gain a high-level understanding of the runtime architecture: the VMM, container stack, and how they fit together across platforms.
Participate in status reporting and reliability reviews.
First 90 Days
Work with the team to align on goals and measures of success.
Start career discussions with reports.
Work with the team to improve processes and remove blockers.
Contribute technical input to roadmap and architectural decisions.
Oversee the delivery of a change or feature.
Start hiring for the team (if needed).
One Year Outlook (First Year)
Drive the long-term technical direction of the runtime across all supported platforms.
Have had a sustained, positive impact on the growth and performance of your reports.
Shipped meaningful improvements to the cross-platform runtime that developers rely on every day.
Docker considers visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis based on business needs.
Compensation & Equity
Canada: CA$276,050 - CA$441,750 + equity
United States: $197,650 - $318,450 + 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.