Software Engineer

Summary

Join Chainguard as a Contract Engineer and contribute to building and securing software infrastructure. You will work on a fast-paced team, focusing on packaging, building, and testing container images for Wolfi and Chainguard Images. Responsibilities include building and refining Melange packages, producing container images, designing automated tests, prioritizing requests, and ensuring high-quality releases. This is a 3-month contract role with the potential for extension. The ideal candidate possesses hands-on experience with Linux, packaging systems (APK, RPM, DEB, etc.), container images, Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform, and at least one programming language. Strong debugging and problem-solving skills are essential. The role offers a flexible, remote-first work environment.

Requirements

• Linux is your playground (1–2 years hands-on experience)
• You speak packaging fluently (APK, RPM, DEB, Snap, Flatpak etc.)
• Container images: you’ve built them, debugged them, and probably lost sleep over them
• Practical experience with Kubernetes, Helm, and Terraform
• Programming chops in at least one language, bonus points for Go, Python, or Shell
• Fierce debugging and problem-solving skills, thriving independently or with a team
• Obsession with quality, process, and sweating the details (in a fun way, promise)

Responsibilities

• Package With Purpose: Build and refine Melange packages (APK) for Wolfi and our repos. We care about security, quality, size and repeatability
• Build Secure Images: Produce container images for public and private consumption. We like to build images with a full suite of tests
• Automate All The Things: Design and implement robust, automated tests to ensure images deploy and run like a dream
• Tame the Backlog Beast: Prioritize and tackle a rapid-fire queue of requests, shipping images that power critical infrastructure
• Champion Quality: Apply and evolve our production standards. Detailed checks, zero surprises, and gold-star releases are the norm, not the exception

Preferred Qualifications

• You’re an active open source contributor or leader
• You have experience with vulnerability management and remediation

Benefits

• Flexible & Remote-First Culture: Work remotely with team meetup opportunities, bi-annual destination summits, and a $400 monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone and internet costs
• Our Approach to Equity: Receive stock options upon hire and promotion. Plus, you can participate in secondary offerings and have 10 years to exercise your options (yes, you read that correctly: 10 years!)
• 100% Covered Health Insurance: We cover 100% of your health, vision and dental insurance premiums for you and your dependents. Nothing comes out of your paycheck
• ��� Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need – to do our best work, we need to recharge and reset
• 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: We offer 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with the option to use it all at once or throughout your child's first year