Stacklok is led by CEO Craig McLuckie and CTO Joe Beda, two of the creators of Kubernetes. Kubernetes helped give enterprises more freedom over where and how they run software. Now we're bringing that same open approach to AI agents.
As AI agents take on more autonomous, long-running work, enterprises need infrastructure to run them securely and reliably at scale, without giving up control of their data, systems, or models. We're building open, Kubernetes-native infrastructure that brings together agent execution, secure access to tools and systems, and centralized controls for identity, permissions, and policy. This is an opportunity to help shape a foundational layer for enterprise AI while the architecture is still being defined.
We build in the open alongside the community. Our open source projects include ToolHive, an MCP platform that secures more than 20 million tool calls each month, and Mecatl, a cloud-native agent harness. Our commercial offering, Stacklok Enterprise, extends these capabilities with an AI gateway, centralized identity, policy enforcement, and observability.
This is a remote role based in North America, with a strong preference for candidates located in the U.S. Eastern Time Zone.
The OpportunityEnterprises are moving AI agents from experimentation into production, and they need infrastructure that is secure, auditable, and runs behind their own firewall. As a Software Engineer II on Stacklok's core platform team, you will help build and harden the systems behind Stacklok Enterprise, the production distribution of ToolHive, the open source platform for running and governing MCP servers.
This is a hands-on role with real independence. You will deliver features and fix issues across the systems that let Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies run AI agents securely at scale, from the runtime that isolates MCP servers and the Kubernetes operator that manages them to the gateway, registry, and identity layers. You will go deep in one area while building a system-wide understanding of how the whole platform fits together.
The timing is what makes it compelling. Customers are signing on now, the platform is being hardened for their production environments, and you will build alongside engineers, managers, and product partners defining this category as it emerges.
What Success Looks Like: First 6-12 Months- Ramped quickly on the platform codebase and began contributing independently, self-organizing on tasks without needing close guidance.
- Shipped your first features and fixes into an enterprise release within the first few months, then delivered core platform work consistently thereafter.
- Resolved assigned production issues within SLA, keeping enterprise customers unblocked and their deployments stable.
- Supported users in the open source ToolHive community, helping them resolve issues and get more value from the platform.
- Strengthened the team by reviewing pull requests thoughtfully and building strong working relationships across engineering and product.
- Build and deliver features across the platform services that make up Stacklok Enterprise, including the runtime, Kubernetes operator, gateway, and registry.
- Fix bugs and harden platform systems for enterprise production use, improving stability across customer deployments.
- Write testable, readable code that accounts for edge cases and error handling, and produce clear design docs for the work you take on.
- Review pull requests and contribute to design discussions, working alongside technical leads, product, and fellow engineers on shared platform efforts.
- Plan and sequence your own tasks and small epics independently, knowing when to pull in a teammate or escalate a design question.
- Contribute to the open source ToolHive codebase and collaborate with community contributors on shared work.
We do not expect every candidate to meet every point below. If this role excites you and you bring most of it, we encourage you to apply.
- Proficiency in Go, writing clean, testable code that accounts for edge cases and error handling.
- Working knowledge of Kubernetes and container technologies such as Docker, including isolation and networking, ideally in self-hosted environments.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver features independently across a backend or platform codebase, from implementation through testing and into a release.
- Experience building or operating platform services such as APIs, gateways, Kubernetes operators, or release and deployment tooling.
- Demonstrated ability to write clear design docs and give thoughtful code reviews that raise the quality of shared work.
- Comfort collaborating in an open source environment. Familiarity with MCP or AI-agent infrastructure is a plus.
- AI-first mindset: integrates AI tools into their development workflow to accelerate delivery and improve the quality of what they build.
- Communication: excellent written and verbal communication, able to explain complex technical ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Startup mentality and intrinsic motivation: self-directed and hands-on, thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments and drives clarity through action.
Compensation: The anticipated base salary range for this position is $157,500 - $192,500. In addition to base salary, this role offers equity and a comprehensive benefits package.
#LI-Remote
At Stacklok, we believe great technology is built by teams that support, challenge, and inspire one another. We are AI maximalists, confident in AI’s potential and committed to building technology people can trust. We use AI in our own work and experiment openly.
You’ll build alongside people with deep experience in open source, cloud-native technologies, security, and developer tools. We stay close to customers, use our own products, and share what we learn to keep improving. You’ll have room to make decisions, support when you need it, and teammates who push themselves to do their best work.
We offer competitive compensation and equity, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a flexible hybrid or remote work environment. Our benefits include flexible PTO, paid holidays, and paid parental leave, along with team offsites to collaborate and connect in person.
If you’re excited about what we’re building and want to work with people who care about their craft, community, and each other, we’d love to hear from you.
--
Stacklok Inc, is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all people and place great value in both diversity and inclusiveness. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to their, or any other person's, perceived or actual race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law.
Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the Los Angeles Tech Scene
Key Facts About Los Angeles Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 375,800; 5.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Snap, Netflix, SpaceX, Disney, Google
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, adtech, media, software, game development
- Funding Landscape: $11.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Strong Ventures, Fifth Wall, Upfront Ventures, Mucker Capital, Kittyhawk Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: California Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Quantum Science and Engineering
