Staff / Principal

GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps, trusted by more than 50 million users and over 50% of the Fortune 100. As a Staff Backend Engineer in the Developer Experience group, you will work cross-functionally to improve the engineering experience across GitLab's internal engineering teams. The group currently has six globally distributed teams of Backend Engineers and Software Engineers in Test. You will split your time between hands-on coding in Ruby and Go, designing scalable solutions, and helping every team deliver. This is a highly visible role with strong company-wide support, instrumental in shifting culture and practices toward a cohesive Developer Experience Platform strategy.

• Drive technical excellence across teams: provide hands-on engineering contributions and technical leadership across six Developer Experience teams, unblocking critical work and accelerating high-impact initiatives.
• Champion engineering needs: partner with engineering teams to identify pain points, gather feedback, and translate frustrations into actionable improvements for the Developer Experience roadmap.
• Transform testing at scale: modernize testing to support GitLab's growth, ensuring fast, reliable tools that catch issues early.
• Optimize CI/CD pipelines: reduce merge and CI friction by building workflows that deliver fast, actionable feedback.
• Break down systemic bottlenecks: collaborate with Platform, Product, and Infrastructure teams to eliminate architectural and process friction.
• Shape engineering culture: foster a culture of continuous learning, inclusion, and improvement.

• Deep experience with developer tooling, DevEx strategies, and testing frameworks at scale.
• Experience leading platform or transformation initiatives across multiple teams.
• Proven ability to influence without authority and collaborate across functions.
• Familiarity with DevOps workflows and CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in a remote-first environment.
• A product mindset with a passion for empowering developers.
• Alignment with GitLab values, especially collaboration, iteration, and transparency.

The base salary range for this role's listed level is currently for residents of the United States only: $131,600—$282,000 USD. GitLab offers benefits to support health, finances, and well-being, including Flexible Paid Time Off, Team Member Resource Groups, Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Growth and Development Fund, and Parental Leave.

Apply through the provided Greenhouse link. GitLab welcomes interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; studies show people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply unless they meet every qualification, so please apply if you're excited about the role.