> Markdown version of [/jobs/48455-senior-manager-engineering-local-runtime](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/48455-senior-manager-engineering-local-runtime). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Manager, Engineering, Local Runtime - **Company:** Docker, Inc. - **Experience:** Expert - **Skills:** Team Leadership - **Published:** August 31, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.docker.com/career-openings/?ashby_jid=0434f9f3-8594-47e5-a568-bee58cc620d8 ## About the Role ## **Qualifications** - **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. - 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. ## Description ## **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. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ 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. ## **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. ## **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. ## About Docker, Inc. At Docker, we simplify the lives of developers who are making world-changing apps. Docker helps developers bring their ideas to reality by conquering the complexity of app development. We simplify and accelerate workflows with an integrated development pipeline and application components. 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