Senior Backend Engineer, Gitlab Delivery: Zero Downtime Upgrades

About the Role

As part of the GitLab Upgrades team, the successful candidate will contribute to building and maintaining the infrastructure, tooling, and automation that supports the reliable operation of GitLab for self-managed customers. This includes working across critical components such as Omnibus GitLab, GitLab Helm Charts, the GitLab Environment Toolkit (Get), and the GitLab Operator.

The role is pivotal in ensuring that GitLab remains at the forefront of DevSecOps, providing an intelligent orchestration platform that enhances developer productivity, operational efficiency, and security. By joining this team, the Senior Backend Engineer will be part of a high-performance culture that values knowledge exchange, innovation, and collaboration, with the opportunity to work with industry leaders and contribute to solving complex problems.

What You Will Do

• Maintain and evolve the Omnibus GitLab package to ensure reliable and production-ready self-managed deployments, focusing on improving deployment stability, increasing upgrade success rates, and reducing escalation rates.
• Develop and improve GitLab Helm Charts to integrate core components cleanly and scale them across supported environments, aiming to reduce deployment friction, shorten time to deploy, and improve operational consistency at scale.
• Enhance the GitLab Environment Toolkit (Get) and validated reference architectures for secure, Kubernetes-native lifecycle management, improving reliability, strengthening security baselines, and accelerating adoption in customer environments.
• Improve installation, upgrade, and operational workflows across deployment methods to create a consistent experience for self-managed customers, reducing operational overhead, lowering failure rates, and increasing consistency across deployment methods.
• Partner with the Security team to address vulnerabilities and deliver secure defaults and configurations in the deployment stack, reducing exposure to vulnerabilities and improving baseline security across self-managed deployments.
• Build and maintain automation and continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines that validate and test Omnibus, Charts, Get, and the Operator, increasing release confidence, improving test coverage, and reducing regressions across deployment tooling.
• Collaborate closely with Distribution Engineers, Site Reliability Engineers, Release Managers, and Development teams to integrate new features into deployment tooling and ensure seamless delivery.
• Contribute to the evolution of GitLab's deployment options, ensuring they remain at the forefront of technology and meet the evolving needs of customers.

What We Are Looking For

• Proven experience as a backend engineer with a strong focus on cloud-native technologies and automation.
• Deep understanding of containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes).
• Experience with infrastructure as code (IaC) tools such as Terraform.
• Strong proficiency in at least one programming language (preferably Ruby, Go, or Python).
• Experience with Agile development methodologies and version control systems (preferably Git).
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals and cloud computing platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Experience working in a remote environment and collaborating with distributed teams.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to act as a technical lead and mentor.

Nice to Have

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools like GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, or CircleCI.
• Knowledge of security best practices and compliance frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, HIPAA).
• Experience with machine learning or artificial intelligence, particularly in automating workflows.
• Contributions to open-source projects, especially in the DevSecOps space.
• Experience with customer-facing roles or supporting external customers.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and equity package.
• Flexible and remote work environment.
• Opportunity to work with a global team of professionals.
• Professional development and growth opportunities.
• Access to the latest technologies and tools.
• Comprehensive health insurance and benefits package.
• Generous PTO policy and paid holidays.
• Parental leave and family care programs.
• Employee resource groups and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

• Ensure your resume and cover letter are tailored to highlight your backend engineering skills, particularly those relevant to cloud-native technologies and deployment automation.
• Prepare examples of your experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and IaC tools like Terraform to discuss during the interview.
• Showcase your ability to work in a collaborative environment and lead technical discussions, emphasizing your problem-solving and communication skills.
• Be ready to discuss your experience with Agile methodologies, version control systems, and your approach to testing and quality assurance.
• Highlight any contributions to open-source projects or personal projects that demonstrate your skills in backend engineering and automation.
• Research GitLab's products and services to understand how your skills align with their technology stack and be prepared to ask informed questions during the interview.