162K–255K USD / year
Principal Technical Program Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering
OperationsRemote — United States
Published on 2026-10-30
These details were extracted automatically from the original listing. They may not be complete or fully up to date — it's worth checking the original job post.
About this role
Lead the operating model and delivery practice for Docker’s Forward Deployed Engineering organization. Set standards, metrics, and operating rhythms, and coordinate customer and engineering commitments so strategic customer engagements deliver reliably and their lessons inform product improvements.
About the company
Docker is a software platform that enables developers to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of applications using containerization technology. The company serves a wide range of industries by providing tools and services that facilitate development and operational efficiencies.
The team
Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE)
Stack
DockerKubernetescloud platformscontainersModel Context Protocol (MCP)
What you'll do
- Define FDE delivery standards, engagement practices, quality measures, and KPIs.
- Run operating reviews and communicate progress, risks, and decisions to executives and customer stakeholders.
- Plan FDE capacity, staffing, customer alignment, and hiring with FDE leadership and recruiting.
- Track customer and engineering commitments, dependencies, owners, and delivery dates.
- Represent FDE with Product and Engineering and improve cross-functional processes.
- Mentor junior TPMs and establish program tracking tools and standards.
- Turn engagement lessons into reusable practices and product improvements.
What we're looking for
- 10+ years of technical program management experience, including 4+ years at Staff level or above.
- Experience supporting customer-facing engineering, professional services, or field engineering teams.
- Track record of meeting enterprise customer commitments and executive-visible deadlines.
- Experience establishing standards and operating processes adopted by other teams.
- Ability to manage cross-team engineering dependencies and secure reliable dates through influence.
- Technical knowledge of cloud platforms, containers, and modern software delivery.
- Experience selecting metrics and targets with incomplete data.
- Strong executive communication, autonomy, and remote-first collaboration skills.
Nice to have
- Experience with Forward Deployed Engineering, Professional Services, Solutions Engineering, or Customer Engineering.
- Familiarity with coding agents, MCP, and enterprise AI security and governance.
- Experience with regulated or compliance-driven customers.
- Experience at a developer tools, infrastructure software, or platform company.
- Familiarity with Docker products, Kubernetes, and cloud-native development platforms.
Benefits
- Equity for full-time employees.
- Generous paid time off and designated quarterly and end-of-year recharge days.
- Home office support and a technology stipend of US$100 net per month.
- Annual learning and development stipend.
- 16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment.
- Medical, retirement, and paid holiday benefits, varying by country.