Staff Software Engineer, Backend Systems (US East Coast)

About this role

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!


The Developer Experience (DevEx) team builds the systems and experiences that help millions of developers build, secure, and ship software with confidence. We power critical parts of Docker Scout and Hardened Images, enabling developers and enterprises to understand and improve their software supply chains.


DevEx operates a polyglot backend infrastructure, with significant systems in both Clojure and Go.
We're actively evolving our technology strategy:
while we maintain sophisticated Clojure-based architecture (event-driven patterns, Datomic Cloud, distributed systems serving 20M+ users), we're working to consolidate around Go where it makes strategic sense and building new ownership capabilities in Go.


What this means for you:
In the immediate term, you'll likely work more in Clojure than Go, and this may continue for a sustained period. Over time, the balance will shift. We need engineers who are genuinely excited about working across both languages - learning deeply where you have gaps and helping others do the same.


As a
Staff Software Engineer,
you'll be a key technical leader who works fluently across our technology stack. You'll drive architecture for distributed systems, influence cross-team design decisions, mentor engineers through technology transitions, and help shape how Docker's backend systems evolve. This isn't about abandoning what works - it's about pragmatic evolution that serves our users and business goals.


This role is ideal for a backend engineer with strong experience i...