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.

Docker’s AI Tools & Security team is building the foundation for the next generation of secure, developer-friendly AI infrastructure. Our flagship product, the MCP Gateway, empowers developers to connect, observe, and secure AI agents and tools across the entire lifecycle—from prototype to production. We’re defining how developers safely harness the power of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) in real-world environments.

We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer who thrives at the intersection of AI, security, and developer experience. You’ll lead the technical direction of the Gateway and related services, collaborating closely with Product, Design, and Security to deliver elegant frameworks and APIs that developers love to use. This is a high-velocity, high-ownership environment: you’ll ship fast, iterate constantly, and help shape the future of secure agent-based development.

Qualifications:

Required

• 6+ years of backend engineering experience with production-grade systems

• A strong product mindset—you're excited about building developer-facing tools

• Strong grasp of software engineering best practices (code review, source control, CI/CD, testing)

• Experience building secure, high-throughput services

• Proficiency in modern programming languages (we primarily use Go)

• Ownership mentality with a bias for shipping, learning, and iterating

• Comfortable working with autonomy across distributed, remote teams.

• Strong written and verbal English communication skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

Bonus

• Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and microservices architecture

• Prior experience with OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar LLM APIs, and the MCP specification

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to defining the technical approach for new product initiatives

• Collaborate closely with Product and Design to shape features and user experience

• Support and guide teammates through code reviews and technical discussions

• Serve as a reliable technical voice within the team and help ensure strong engineering standards

• 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.

What to expect

First 30 days:

• Meet team members

• Build context about the problem space and prior art

• Provide feedback on current exploration and propose next steps in line with Product and Design

First 90 days:

• Work with Product and Design on defining the product

• Attend customer calls

• Meet people across the company

• Help grow the team by participating in hiring loops

One Year Outlook:

• Bring the product to market

Docker considers visa sponsorship on a case-by-case basis based on business needs.

We use Covey as part of our hiring and / or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT. As part of the evaluation process we provide Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using Covey Scout for Inbound on April 13, 2024.

Please see the independent bias audit report covering our use of Covey here.

Perks

• Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life

• Designated quarterly Whaleness Days plus end o