Senior Backend Engineer, Gitlab Delivery: Zero Downtime Upgrades

## About the Role As a Senior Backend Engineer on the GitLab Upgrades team, you will play a crucial role in developing and maintaining the infrastructure, tooling, and automation behind GitLab's deployment options. Your primary focus will be on building and improving the Omnibus GitLab package, GitLab Helm Charts, the GitLab Environment Toolkit (Get), and the GitLab Operator. You will work closely with engineering teams to act as a bridge to customer needs, improving installation, upgrade, and day-to-day operations for production-grade GitLab deployments.

The GitLab Upgrades team is responsible for ensuring that self-managed customers can run GitLab reliably and efficiently. This involves developing and maintaining the tools and infrastructure that enable customers to deploy and manage GitLab in a variety of environments, including Kubernetes and other self-managed environments. As a Senior Backend Engineer on this team, you will have the opportunity to work on complex technical problems, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and contribute to the development of cutting-edge technology.

GitLab is committed to innovation and excellence, and this role offers a unique opportunity to work with a talented team of engineers who are passionate about developing and delivering high-quality software. If you are a motivated and experienced backend engineer who is looking for a new challenge, this role could be an excellent fit.

## What You Will Do - Develop and maintain the Omnibus GitLab package to support reliable, production-ready self-managed deployments - Improve deployment stability, increase upgrade success rates, and reduce escalation rates - Develop and improve GitLab Helm Charts to integrate cleanly and scale across supported environments - Reduce deployment friction, shorten time to deploy, and improve operational consistency at scale - Enhance the GitLab Environment Toolkit (Get) and the GitLab Operator for secure, Kubernetes-native lifecycle management - Improve reliability, strengthen security baselines, and accelerate adoption in customer environments - Collaborate with engineering teams to act as a bridge to customer needs - Improve installation, upgrade, and day-to-day operations for production-grade GitLab deployments - Participate in the development of validated reference architectures for enterprise-scale deployments - Build automation pipelines and observability into deployment tooling to validate, test, and operate GitLab

## What We Are Looking For - 5+ years of experience in backend engineering, with a focus on developing scalable infrastructure and tooling - Strong proficiency in programming languages such as Ruby, Python, or Go - Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and other containerization technologies - Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug complex technical issues - Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience working with cross-functional teams - Experience with cloud-native technologies, such as AWS, GCP, or Azure - Strong understanding of DevSecOps principles and practices - Experience with automation tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef

## Nice to Have - Experience with GitLab and its ecosystem - Knowledge of security best practices and compliance frameworks - Experience with monitoring and logging tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK - Strong understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, and load balancing

## Benefits and Perks - Competitive salary and benefits package - Opportunity to work with a talented team of engineers who are passionate about developing and delivering high-quality software - Flexible working hours and remote work options - Professional development and growth opportunities - Access to the latest technologies and tools - Recognition and reward for outstanding performance - Comprehensive health and wellness programs - Generous parental leave policy - Employee stock options

- To stand out as a candidate, be prepared to showcase your technical expertise and passion for innovation. Highlight your experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and other containerization technologies.

• When applying, make sure to tailor your resume and cover letter to the specific requirements of the role. Emphasize your problem-solving skills, communication skills, and experience working with cross-functional teams.
• In the interview, be prepared to answer technical questions about your experience with backend engineering, DevSecOps, and cloud-native technologies. Be ready to provide specific examples of your work and accomplishments.
• If you're new to GitLab, take the time to learn about the company's products and services. Familiarize yourself with the GitLab ecosystem and be prepared to ask informed questions during the interview.
• When negotiating salary, be sure to research the market rate for backend engineers in your area. Be confident and assertive in your negotiation, and be prepared to explain your value and contributions to the company.
• Be aware of potential red flags during the interview process, such as a lack of transparency about the company culture or values. Trust your instincts and don't be afraid to ask tough questions.