Director, Partner Solution Engineer

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. _______________________________________________________________________ As Docker continues its rapid growth, we're seeking an inspiring and experienced Director of Partner Solution Engineering to lead a world-class team. Docker helps organizations solve complex challenges in modern software supply chains, security governance, and AI-driven development. This role offers the opportunity to shape how our strategic partners, including ISVs, CSPs, SIs, and VARs, adopt and deliver transformative technologies that make developers more productive and secure. ABOUT THE ROLE As Director of Partner Solution Engineering, you will lead a high-performing technical organization responsible for driving partner enablement, joint go-to-market initiatives, and technical excellence across Docker's partner ecosystem. You will collaborate closely with Partner Sales, Technical Alliances, Product, and Engineering to develop scalable technical partnership strategies that help partners successfully integrate, sell, and deliver Docker's platform. Your focus will be on enabling your team to drive partner technical readiness, co-innovation, and mutual customer success while building repeatable models for partner engagement at scale. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES LEADERSHIP & TEAM DEVELOPMENT - Lead, develop, and inspire a team of Partner Solution Engineers, ensuring professional growth and high performance across multiple partner segments (ISVs, CSPs, SIs, VARs). - Build and scale the Partner SE organization to support Docker's expanding partner ecosystem and geographic coverage. - Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning focused on partner success and technical excellence. - Coach, mentor, and empower your team to engage effectively with diverse partner organizations and communicate complex technical concepts clearly. PARTNER ENABLEMENT & TECHNICAL STRATEGY - Establish repeatable processes and programs for partner technical enablement, including scalable learning paths, certifications, technical deep-dives, and integration workshops. - Design and deliver both 1:1 strategic enablement for key partners and 1-to-many programs that drive adoption across the broader partner ecosystem. - Create technical content, integration guides, architectural diagrams, reference architectures, and enablement videos tailored for partners. - Develop partner-specific technical sales plays, solution validation frameworks, and proof-of-value methodologies that highlight Docker's differentiated value. JOINT GO-TO-MARKET EXECUTION - Partner with the Partner Sales organization to drive joint account planning, co-selling opportunities, and "sell-with" and "sell-through" motions. - Guide partners through solution design, technical validation, and evaluation processes to achieve joint customer success and sales goals. - Support product positioning and technical validation during joint sales engagements, ensuring clarity on what's GA and ready for delivery. - Define and track metrics for partner technical readiness, engagement quality, and revenue impact. PRODUCT & ALLIANCE COLLABORATION - Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to share Voice of the Partner, influencing roadmap priorities and co-building initiatives. - Guide beta/EAP program participation with strategic partners, gathering feedback on new features and integration requirements. - Work closely with the Technical Alliances team on roadmap alignment, technical integrations with CSPs and ISVs, and partner-driven feature requests. - Champion regional partner technical needs and priorities in internal planning discussions (FedGov, EMEA, APAC). CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP - Collaborate with Field SEs to ensure alignment with market-specific requirements, share learnings, and avoid duplication of effort. - Partner with Marketing to support partner events, conferences, webinars, and demand generation programs. - Work with Sales leadership to define partner success metrics, performance standards, and technical excellence measures. - Represent Docker at partner events and conferences as a technical expert and evangelist. OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE - Create an environment of continuous improvement focused on partner outcomes, operational excellence, and scalable processes. - Develop internal enablement programs that enhance partner SE capabilities and share best practices across teams. - Establish tools, systems, and workflows that enable efficient partner engagement and measurement. - Build strong feedback loops to iterate on enablement strategies based on data-driven insights and partner performance. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED - 8+ years of experience leading technical partner engineering, partner solutions, or pre-sales teams for distributed systems, developer platforms, or cloud infrastructure companies. - Proven success in guiding teams that support channel partnerships, strategic alliances, and joint go-to-market initiatives. - Minimum of 5 years in management, including hiring, mentoring, and scaling high-performing partner-facing technical teams. - Deep understanding of partner ecosystems including ISVs, CSPs (AWS, Azure, GCP), Systems Integrators, and VARs. - Strong experience in software supply chain security, security governance, DevOps, DevSecOps, or developer productivity technologies. - Deep technical understanding of containerization, cloud-native architectures, CI/CD pipelines, and developer tools. - Demonstrated ability to build scalable partner enablement programs (technical learning paths, certifications, workshops). - Excellent communication and executive presentation skills, with the ability to build trust across technical and business audiences at both partner and customer organizations. - Strong strategic thinking with proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive complex initiatives. PREFERRED - Operational experience with Docker, Kubernetes, or similar container-based platforms. - Experience with application security principles and securing the software supply chain, including SBOMs, image scanning, and secure delivery pipelines. - Background in software development, scripting, or infrastructure-as-code. - Experience enabling developer productivity through coding assistants, AI integrations, or AI agent development. - Familiarity with partner operations tools including Salesforce and enablement platforms like MindTickle. - Experience working in both direct and channel sales models, understanding the nuances of partner-led vs. partner-assisted sales. - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). - Willingness to travel (~30% expected) to support key partner engagements and events. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE 30 DAYS - Successfully onboard, gaining familiarity with Docker's platform, partner ecosystem, and partner go-to-market strategy. - Establish relationships with your team, Partner Sales, Technical Alliances, Field SE leadership, and key cross-functional partners. - Begin shadowing partner calls, reviewing existing enablement materials, and understanding current partner technical capabilities. - Learn tooling (Salesforce, Looker, Docker platform, PRM) and connect with internal stakeholders. 90 DAYS - Develop and align a 12-month strategic plan with Partner Sales, Technical Alliances, and Product leadership. - Begin executing key initiatives focused on improving partner technical readiness, enablement program quality, and joint sales effectiveness. - Lead enablement sessions for selected strategic partners and support joint-account planning activities. - Produce initial partner-facing technical content and establish your voice as a technical leader in the partner ecosystem. 1 YEAR - Scale and enable a high-impact Partner Solution Engineering organization that drives measurable partner success and revenue growth through the channel. - Own the technical strategy for one or more partner segments with documented processes, metrics, and success stories. - Become a trusted advisor across Partner Sales, Product, Engineering, and Technical Alliances by championing partner insights and technical excellence. - Demonstrate quantifiable improvements in partner technical closure rates, joint sales velocity, and partner satisfaction scores. - Build a reputation as a thought leader in the partner ecosystem, representing Docker effectively at partner events and conferences. WHY JOIN DOCKER Docker is at the forefront of developer productivity and software supply chain security. As Director of Partner Solution Engineering, you'll have the opportunity to: - Shape the technical strategy for how Docker scales through its partner ecosystem - Build and lead a world-class team of Partner Solution Engineers - Work with industry-leading partners including major cloud providers, security vendors, and global system integrators - Influence product direction based on partner and customer insights - Make a measurable impact on Docker's growth through the channel - Collaborate with passionate, talented teams across Sales, Product, Engineering, and Alliances This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of deep technical expertise, strategic partnership development, and team building. If you're excited about enabling partners to deliver exceptional outcomes for joint customers while building a best-in-class Partner SE organization, we'd love to hear from you. Docker does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.   Compensation & Equity Canada: CA$327.6K– CA$468K OTE + equity United States: $226.1K – $323K OTE + equity ______________________________________________________________________ POSTING INFORMATION - Open vacancy: This posting is for an existing open role. - AI in hiring: Docker may use AI-assisted tools during our recruiting process. - Interview recordings: Candidates will be invited to opt in to interview recordings to support interviewer calibration and consistent evaluations. Recordings are optional and require explicit consent. ______________________________________________________________________ PERKS & BENEFITS - Remote-first by design – Work from your home, with offices in Seattle and Paris for connection and collaboration. - Flexibility that fits your life – We trust you to manage your schedule while delivering great work. - Time to recharge – Generous PTO, designated quarterly Whaleness Days, and a designated end-of-year Whaleness break. - Home office support – Set up your workspace for comfort and success. - Technology stipend – Equivalent to US$100 net per month to help support your work. - Learning & development – Annual stipend for conferences, courses, certifications, and continued learning. - Parental leave – 16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment. - Equity for all full-time employees – Share in Docker's long-term success as we continue to grow. - Comprehensive benefits – Medical, retirement, and paid holidays vary by country. - Docker swag – Because representing the whale never gets old. Docker is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe diverse teams build better products, make better decisions, and better serve our global community. #LI-REMOTE