Senior Software Engineer, Docker Desktop Platform (EMEA)

At Docker, we make app development easier so developers can focus on what matters. Our remote-first team spans the globe, united by a passion for innovation and great developer experiences. With over 20 million monthly users and 20 billion image pulls, Docker is the #1 tool for building, sharing, and running apps—trusted by startups and Fortune 100s alike. We’re growing fast and just getting started. Come join us for a whale of a ride!

About the Role

Docker Desktop is a core part of Docker’s suite of products and is relied upon by millions of developers every day to build and run containerized applications. As part of our Desktop Platform team your mission is to enable teams working on Desktop to deliver features more quickly and to own the shared components in Docker Desktop. This includes work on architectural improvements such as modularization, maintaining the installer, updater, and the overall application lifecycle. 

The team plays a key role in ensuring that all product teams contributing to Docker Desktop can move quickly with confidence. Our current roadmap includes modularizing the codebase, supporting complex installation needs for enterprise customers, improving the architecture of shared components such as the settings, and improving our feature flag functionality.

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Desktop Platform team, you will develop and refine the internal components that form the foundation of Docker Desktop. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure our installer, updater, and modular architecture remain reliable, efficient, and easy to integrate with. By doing so, you’ll help feature teams and internal developers build on top of Docker Desktop effectively, and developers worldwide build and run their containerized applications more smoothly.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain core components of Docker Desktop.

• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to define best practices for the application lifecycle, ensuring reliability and ease of contribution.

• Continuously monitor and improve application stability.

• Work with customers to learn about their needs and debug issues that they encounter.

• Support architecture reviews to keep Docker Desktop modular and adaptable as new features and integrations are added.

• Write, review, and maintain high-quality code (including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests).

• Champion a culture of knowledge-sharing through demos, documentation, and collaboration sessions.

• Collaborate with leadership to define priorities and drive data-driven decision-making.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a backend software engineer, preferably using Go.

• Hands-on experience delivering and supporting cross-platform desktop applications, including installers or updaters.

• Strong knowledge of operation systems internals, OS-level APIs, networking, virtualisation or performance optimization.

• Familiarity with observability, telemetry, and data monitoring tools.

• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions.

• Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts, write clear documentation, collaborate across teams, and present findings effectively.

• Ability to interact with upstream communities and with our customers in a way that brings credit to Docker.

What to Expect in Your First 30 Days

• Meet your team and your assigned onboarding buddy.

• Set up your development environment and get familiar with our tools and workflows.

• Begin contributing to the codebase by tackling smaller tasks and bug fixes.

• Pair with a colleague to work on an initial project, which may involve performance improvements, reliability enhancements, or feature development.

• Participate in discussions around priorities and best practices.

• Join virtual coffee chats to connect with peers across Docker.

What to Expect in Your First 90 Days

• Gain deep familiarity with the architecture of the codebase.

• Collaborate with the team to define key performance benchmarks.

• Start improving a specific Docker Desktop platform area / shared component based on observability metrics.

• Present your findings in a tech talk or demo to the team.

• Influence the quarterly roadmap by contributing insights from your early discoveries.

What to Expect in Your First Year

• Take ownership of a platform feature or improvement.

• Drive improvements in our observability and monitoring stack to help diagnose issues faster.

• Contribute to shaping the team’s long-term vision for Docker Desktop as a platform.

• Have opportunities to engage with the Docker community and share insights.

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 (for Full-Time Employees Only)

• Freedom & flexibility; fit your work around your life

• Designated quarterly Whaleness Days

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

• 16 weeks of paid Parental leave

• Technology stipend equivalent to $100 net/month

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

• Quarterly, company-wide hackathons

• 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

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.

Due to the remote nature of this role, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.

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