Principal Backend Engineer, Hub (US East Coast)

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

Perks

• Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life

• Designated quarterly Whaleness Days plus end of year Whaleness break

• Home office setup; we want you comfortable while you work

• 16 weeks of paid Parental leave (after 6 months of employment)

• Technology stipend equivalent to $100 USD net/month

• PTO plan that encourages you to take time to do the things you enjoy

• Training stipend for conferences, courses and classes

• Equity; we are a growing start-up and want all employees to have a share in the success of the company

• Docker Swag

• Medical benefits, retirement and holidays vary by country

• Remote-first culture, with offices in Seattle and Paris

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.

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