Director of Engineering, Workflows & Runners

About the Role

The success of Gitlab's platform depends on the ability of its engineering teams to innovate and deliver high-quality solutions. As the Director of Engineering, you will play a critical role in driving this innovation and ensuring that the company's technical vision is aligned with its business goals. You will be responsible for recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent, and for fostering a culture of collaboration, transparency, and continuous learning.

What You Will Do

• Own the technical vision and roadmap for Gitlab's core Workflow and Function Runtime primitives, in partnership with Product, Architecture, and other platform teams.
• Lead and grow multiple engineering teams responsible for highly available, horizontally scalable, and secure distributed systems used across Gitlab.
• Be hands-on with architecture and code: review designs, dive into incidents, and contribute to critical paths where needed.
• Drive operational excellence for these shared services, including SLOs, on-call, incident response, capacity planning, and resilience across regions and tenants.
• Optimize for cost and efficiency at scale, balancing performance, reliability, and unit economics for long-running and bursty workloads.
• Define and mature platform APIs and abstractions that allow product teams to compose workflows, schedule functions, and integrate with the runtime safely and predictably.
• Create a strong engineering culture focused on results, iteration, ownership, and rigorous technical judgment.
• Collaborate across the company (Product Management, Security, Infrastructure, Data, AI/ML, and other stage groups) to ensure the platform primitives meet the needs of diverse workloads.
• Recruit, develop, and retain senior and staff-level engineers and managers; provide clear expectations, feedback, and growth paths.

What We Are Looking For

• Proven experience leading teams building core platform or infrastructure components, with a focus on scalability, availability, and security.
• Strong technical background in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, with expertise in distributed systems, cloud computing, and DevSecOps.
• Excellent leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate high-performing teams.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Experience with Adjust and Excel, or similar tools and technologies.
• A strong understanding of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, and a commitment to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI and machine learning, and a understanding of how these technologies can be applied to improve engineering workflows and productivity.
• Knowledge of Gitlab's platform and ecosystem, and a understanding of the company's technical vision and strategy.
• Experience working in a remote or distributed team environment, and a ability to thrive in a culture of flexibility and autonomy.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and benefits package, with a focus on providing a comprehensive and supportive work environment.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development, with a commitment to ongoing learning and skill-building.
• A flexible and autonomous work environment, with the ability to work remotely and set your own schedule.
• A culture of inclusivity and respect, with a focus on diversity, equity, and belonging.
• Access to the latest tools and technologies, with a budget for professional development and continuous learning.
• A collaborative and dynamic team environment, with a focus on innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.

• Be prepared to discuss your experience with distributed systems, cloud computing, and DevSecOps, and how you have applied these technologies in previous roles.
• Emphasize your leadership and management skills, and provide examples of how you have inspired and motivated high-performing teams.
• Show a strong understanding of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, and a commitment to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect.
• Highlight your experience with Adjust and Excel, or similar tools and technologies, and explain how you have used these tools to improve engineering workflows and productivity.
• Be prepared to discuss your experience working in a remote or distributed team environment, and how you have thrived in a culture of flexibility and autonomy.
• Research Gitlab's platform and ecosystem, and be prepared to discuss your understanding of the company's technical vision and strategy.
• Practice your communication and collaboration skills, and be prepared to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.