Staff Backend Engineer, AI
GitLab
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Remote
Location: Canada
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Job Level
Tech Stack
About the role
- As a Staff Backend Engineer (AI) in the Verify stage at GitLab, you'll help shape and scale the core infrastructure behind GitLab CI.
- You'll play a central role in how we integrate AI into CI/CD workflows.
- Your work will impact performance, reliability, and usability for people running millions of CI jobs, from small teams to the largest enterprises.
- You'll set standards for what good looks like across our AI agent portfolio.
- You'll also help responsibly integrate GitLab's Duo Agent Platform into CI workflows at scale, on a foundation that's fast, reliable, secure, and observable.
- Shape and scale GitLab CI backend infrastructure to improve performance, reliability, and usability for users running jobs at high volume.
- Design and implement AI-powered features for Agentic CI, including agents, agentic flows, and LLM-backed tooling that integrates with GitLab's Duo Agent Platform.
Requirements
- Advanced proficiency with Ruby and Ruby on Rails, with experience building and maintaining reliable backend services in a large codebase.
- Strong PostgreSQL skills, including data modeling, query tuning, and scaling large tables through proactive performance investigation and remediation.
- Hands-on experience building, running, and debugging high-traffic production systems, ideally in CI, workflow orchestration, or adjacent infrastructure-heavy domains.
- Practical experience designing and shipping AI-powered backend features and integrations, including sound judgment about large language model limitations and responsible use in production.
- A data-driven approach to engineering: defining hypotheses, establishing baseline metrics, instrumenting changes, and measuring outcomes against clear success criteria.
- Familiarity with observability patterns and tools (metrics, logging, tracing) to diagnose issues, improve reliability, and guide iteration.
- Strong backend architecture and delivery practices, including secure design, well-tested code, and strategies for safe rollouts and zero-downtime changes.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including writing technical proposals and documentation, and collaborating effectively in a remote, asynchronous, cross-functional environment.
Benefits
- Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
- Flexible Paid Time Off
- Team Member Resource Groups
- Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Growth and Development Fund
- Parental leave
- Home office support
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
RubyRuby on RailsPostgreSQLAI-powered featuresbackend servicesdata modelingquery tuningperformance investigationobservability patternsbackend architecture
Soft Skills
clear communicationtechnical writingcollaborationdata-driven approachjudgment about AI limitations