Principal Sales Engineer, US Public Sector

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Lead the technical discovery process with federal program offices, DevSecOps teams, platform teams, security organizations, and AI/ML groups.

• Develop technical requirements and agency evaluation criteria at the onset of acquisition cycles.

• Design, position, and implement Proofs of Concept (PoCs) and Proofs of Value (PoVs) that encompass policy enforcement, artifact integrity, Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs), secure images, AI governance, and secure build pipelines.

• Establish success criteria, evaluation frameworks, and executive-ready value summaries.

• Drive decision-making through demonstrations, workshops, architecture reviews, technical exchange meetings, and executive briefings.

• Convert AI security and governance capabilities into actionable mission outcomes for federal leadership.

• Provide guidance to agencies regarding responsible AI, secure AI model and agent lifecycle management, software supply chain integrity, container security, and DevSecOps practices.

• Represent Docker within the federal community through participation in industry days, conferences, webinars, reference architectures, and whitepapers.

• Act as a subject matter expert on Docker products within federal security and accreditation frameworks.

• Clarify the implications of Docker Hardened Images compliance artifacts for authorization packages.

• Assist with Requests for Information (RFIs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), security questionnaires, and technical evaluation criteria.

• Offer advice on deployment patterns for on-premises, air-gapped, and government cloud environments.

• Cultivate and expand relationships with technical champions across agencies and integrators.

• Advocate for the needs of federal customers with the Product and Engineering teams.

• Collaborate with Post Sales and Support throughout the customer lifecycle.

• Create reusable technical assets for agencies and the Solutions Engineering team.

• Support competitive initiatives, technical win strategies, contract vehicles, and partner-led sales efforts.

• Report directly to the Director of Solutions Engineering.

• Travel to agency sites, industry days, and partner events up to 25% of the time.

⛳️ Requirements

• Minimum of 8 years in technical pre-sales roles such as Sales Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or Solutions Architect.

• Proven experience in selling infrastructure software, developer tools, or security products to complex enterprise or government accounts.

• At least 3 years of experience selling into US Federal sectors, including Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Civilian, or both.

• A track record of achieving technical wins within federal acquisition cycles.

• Familiarity with FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, DISA STIGs, DoD Impact Levels, and the Authorization to Operate (ATO) process.

• Strong background in conducting competitive PoCs and PoVs with clear success and exit criteria.

• Understanding of containers, Kubernetes, CI/CD, Linux, modern application architectures, and major cloud platforms, including government regions.

• Ability to engage effectively with senior government stakeholders and product engineers.

• Exceptional communication, influence, stakeholder management, and public speaking skills.

• Must be a US citizen.

• Willingness to travel up to 25% is required.

• Active US security clearance is preferred; TS/SCI clearance is highly desirable.

• Experience with Docker or related container and supply chain security ecosystems is preferred.

• Background in software supply chain security, SBOM tooling, artifact signing and attestation, or hardened image programs is preferred.

• Experience with AI governance, secure AI or agentic development workflows, or MLOps in regulated environments is preferred.

• Familiarity with selling through or alongside federal system integrators, resellers, and contract vehicles is preferred.

• Prior military, civil service, or government contracting experience is preferred.

• Experience in supporting air-gapped or classified deployments is preferred.

• Preferred location is in the Washington DC metro area.

• Docker does not provide visa sponsorship.

🏝️ Benefits

• Equity offered to all full-time employees.

• Generous paid time off (PTO).

• Designated quarterly Whaleness Days.

• Designated end-of-year Whaleness break.

• Home office support provided.

• Technology stipend of US$100 net per month.

• Annual learning and development stipend for conferences, courses, certifications, and continued education.

• 16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment.

• Comprehensive medical benefits.

• Retirement benefits included.

• Paid holidays offered.

• Equipment setup provided during onboarding.

• Swag package included.

• Collaborative training program with an onboarding peer.

• Flexible work schedule available.

• Remote-first work from home policy.