Principal Product & Commercial Counsel, Docker
+ Equity
More information about location
App development platform
Posted today
App development platform
1001+ employees
Posted today
+ Equity
More information about location
1001+ employees
Company mission
To simplify the lives of developers building world-changing apps.
Role
Who you are
- J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar
- 6+ years of relevant legal experience, with a meaningful portion in-house at a software, cloud, or developer tools company; a combination of law firm and in-house experience is ideal
- Deep familiarity with open source software licensing, including copyleft and permissive license regimes, license compatibility analysis, and OSS program governance
- Hands-on experience drafting and negotiating SaaS, software licensing, and cloud services agreements, including enterprise customer negotiations of IP, indemnity, and liability provisions
- Working technical fluency with developer software concepts such as virtual containers, registries, CI/CD, APIs, and software supply chain security; direct familiarity with Docker's products or comparable developer platforms is a strong plus
- Understanding of AI and LLM legal issues, including model licensing, training data, and applicable regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act
- AI-Native work capability
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance for Product Managers and Engineers
- Sound, risk-calibrated judgment and a bias toward practical solutions that enable the business
- Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and to manage competing priorities independently
- Ability to collaborate with diverse teams and build strong working relationships
What the job involves
- The Principal Product & Commercial Counsel will report to Docker's Head of Legal
- This is a hybrid role at the intersection of product counseling and commercial negotiation
- You will serve as the primary legal partner to Docker's Product Management and Engineering teams across the full product lifecycle, from concept and design through launch, monetization, and end of life, while also assisting with negotiating the commercial provisions that bring those products to market
- Your subject matter depth in open source software licensing and cloud services will directly impact how Docker builds, licenses, and delivers its products to millions of developers and thousands of enterprise customers worldwide
- Your work will be instrumental in helping the Company reach its growth objectives while protecting its intellectual property and managing product and licensing risk
- This position will be a core member of the extended Legal team, working cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, GRC, Sales, and Deal Desk, with exposure to Docker's senior executives and the opportunity to grow beyond the initial responsibilities and role based on expanding company needs
- Primary function will be to serve as embedded product counsel to Docker's Product Managers and Engineering teams, providing pragmatic, business-oriented advice on new products, features, pricing and packaging changes, Early Access and beta programs, and end-of-life decisions
- Advise on open source software matters, including license analysis and compatibility (Apache, MIT, BSD, GPL, LGPL, AGPL, and source-available licenses), inbound and outbound OSS usage, contribution and CLA policies, and compliance obligations across Docker's products and distribution channels
- Secondary function as needed, draft and maintain Docker's product-facing legal terms, including service-specific terms, subscription and licensing agreements, Early Access and beta terms, fair use and acceptable use policies, and documentation supporting new monetization models
- Structure and negotiate commercial provisions in customer and partner agreements relating to product licensing, cloud services, hybrid on-premise and SaaS deployments, IP ownership, indemnification, warranties, and support commitments, in partnership with Sales and Deal Desk
- Counsel on AI-enabled product features, including training data provenance, output ownership, third-party model licensing, and evolving AI regulatory requirements
- Collaborate with GRC on the intersection of product design and regulatory obligations, including software supply chain security expectations and emerging regimes such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act
- Support IP strategy, including trademark usage guidelines, brand protection in product and marketing contexts, and coordination with outside counsel on IP matters
- Monitor and analyze legal and regulatory developments affecting developer tools, open source, cloud services, and AI, advising the organization on necessary updates and adjustments
- Help build scalable playbooks, templates, and self-service resources that allow Product and GTM teams to move quickly within well-defined guardrails
- First 30 days
- Meet with the Head of Legal to understand Docker's product, licensing, and IP vision
- Read Docker's product terms, subscription agreements, and OSS policies
- Read Docker's Legal, Products, and security-related Notion pages
- Become familiar with Docker's product portfolio, licensing models, and distribution channels
- Forge relationships with Docker's Product Management, Engineering, GRC, Deal Desk, and Sales teams
- Begin reviewing product feature launches and customer requests for product-related commercial terms
- First 90 days
- Take ownership of the legal review process for new product and feature launches
- Establish a formalized intake and review cadence with Product Management for roadmap items with legal implications
- Deliver a fact and data driven assessment of Docker's product terms and OSS compliance posture with a 6 month and 12 month improvement roadmap
- Lead the negotiation of product and licensing provisions in active customer and partner deals as assigned by the Head of Legal
- Collaborate with Docker counsel on customer contractual requests relating to licensing, IP, and cloud services and provide feedback
- Become familiar with Docker's Compliance program and controls
- First year
- You have maintained an appropriate meeting cadence with Docker's Product Management, Engineering, GRC, Deal Desk, and Sales teams
- You have provided a monthly update report to the Head of Legal for eStaff updates
- You have built and deployed playbooks and templates that streamline product legal review and commercial negotiations to meet the demands of domestic and international growth
- You have built the brand of the product legal function as a trusted partner, industry leader, and facilitator of Docker's growth and customer satisfaction
Our take
Docker supplies a hub and desktop solution to simplify the workflow of app development teams. Originally known for popularising the idea of containerising software, it saw itself outpaced by Kubernetes. However, the company has identified a problem with the growing complexity of containerisation, with some apps consisting of dozens or even hundreds of containers - which is what it now addresses.
Docker has had a difficult time in the past, with 2019 seeing it sell off its enterprise business, reduce its workforce by hundreds, and change its leadership team. As a well known brand and ecosystem for containerisation, however, it aims to lure developers back to its product as well as to take advantage of the growing global demand for app development.
Returning to focus on developers rather than large companies was certainly a gamble, but one that seems to have paid off. The company has returned to profitability and raised Series C funding in 2022, which has been used to hire new talent, ramping up its business, and continuing to develop and refine its product. On top of this bounce back to success, it's also embarked on a series of acquisitions to bolster its business.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
47% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 13 rounds)
Mar 2022
$105m
SERIES C
Mar 2021
$23m
SERIES B
Total funding: $526m
Company benefits
- 100% company paid medical premiums for employees and dependents
- Flexible Time Off Policy
- Employer Paid Holidays
- Generous Parental Leave (after 6 months of employment)
- Home Office Set Up Budget
- Monthly Technology Stipend
- Training Allowances
- Life and Disability Insurance
- Retirement Plans
- Virtual and In-Person Social Events
- Docker Swag
- Quarterly Hackathons
Company HQ
China Basin, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Don Johnson
(CEO)Prior to joining Docker in 2025, Don spent nearly 9 years at Oracle in various Engineering/VP roles. Before that, they spent over 7 years at Amazon as a Software Development Engineer and Principal Engineer.
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