Senior Software Engineer — Container Images & Security

Accountabilities: Design, build, and maintain minimal, hardened, and production-ready container images across multiple Linux distributions and application runtimes. Own end-to-end vulnerability remediation across operating system packages, libraries, runtimes, and dependencies, including investigation, patching, rebuilding, and validation. Troubleshoot complex package compatibility, dependency resolution, build, and runtime issues while ensuring applications remain functional. Reduce container image size and attack surface by removing unnecessary packages, binaries, and dependencies. Develop, maintain, and optimize automated pipelines for image building, vulnerability scanning, remediation, testing, and publishing. Create internal tools and automation to manage image versioning, dependency updates, metadata, and release traceability. Generate, validate, and maintain Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) to improve software supply chain visibility and support compliance requirements. Validate image functionality, reproducibility, and compatibility with Kubernetes and other containerized environments. Collaborate with platform, infrastructure, and security teams to establish image-hardening standards and integrate curated images into development and deployment workflows. Produce clear technical documentation to support developer adoption and consistent use of secure container images. Continuously improve remediation speed, image quality, build reliability, and operational efficiency. Contribute to measurable improvements in image security, including reducing exploitable vulnerabilities and strengthening reproducible delivery practices. Requirements: At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in software engineering, Linux systems engineering, platform engineering, DevSecOps, or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). Deep knowledge of Linux systems, with hands-on experience using distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, or RHEL. Strong experience building and optimizing Docker images, including multi-stage builds, image layering, and container filesystem structures. Demonstrated expertise investigating and remediating Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) in Linux packages and container images, including patching, rebuilding, and validating fixes. Strong understanding of Linux package management and dependency resolution using tools such as apt, apk, yum/dnf, or rpm. Proficiency in Python, Go, or Bash, with experience developing maintainable automation and internal engineering tools. Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, or comparable platforms. Practical experience with vulnerability scanning tools such as Trivy, Grype, or Clair, as well as SBOM generation. Solid understanding of Kubernetes concepts, container lifecycles, and container image deployment requirements. Strong independent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, combined with the ability to collaborate effectively across technical teams. U.S. citizenship is required due to the role's support of federal government customers. Preferred Qualifications: Experience creating minimal or distroless container images and maintaining large container image catalogs. Knowledge of building Linux packages from source and backporting security fixes. Familiarity with SBOM formats and tools such as SPDX, CycloneDX, and Syft. Experience with container image signing, provenance, and verification using Cosign or Sigstore. Understanding of software supply chain security frameworks such as SLSA. Familiarity with container registries such as Docker Hub, Harbor, or Amazon ECR. Experience with Helm, Kustomize, GitOps, or infrastructure-as-code workflows. Previous experience in a startup environment or regulated industry. Benefits: Base salary: $130,000–$200,000 USD, depending on experience and technical expertise. Equity participation. Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage. Remote-first working environment within the United States. Full-time employment opportunity. Opportunity to work on complex challenges involving Linux engineering, container security, and software supply chain protection. Career development opportunities within a growing cybersecurity organization.