Staff Backend Engineer (Ruby on Rails/AI), Verify

About the Company

Responsibilities

• ● 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.
• ● Define what success looks like for AI in CI before you build, including baselines, measurable outcomes, and clear signals that help the team learn and iterate.
• ● Build the instrumentation and observability needed to make AI-assisted CI trustworthy in production, including feature behavior metrics, dashboards, and safeguards.
• ● Own and drive measurable performance improvements across CI systems (for example, database access patterns, background processing, and job orchestration) by forming hypotheses, running experiments, and validating results with data.
• ● Write secure, well-tested, maintainable Ruby on Rails code in a large monolith, improving existing features while reducing technical debt and operational risk.
• ● Lead cross-functional technical work with Product, UX, and Infrastructure, influencing architecture and execution across the Verify stage.
• ● Share standards, patterns, and learnings with other engineers, raising the bar for responsible AI integration and evidence-driven engineering across CI.

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.
• ● About the team
• ● The Verify stage focuses on collaboration, iteration, and helping GitLab users run fast, reliable, and scalable Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines for projects of all sizes, from small teams to large enterprises. For more on how we work, see Team Handbook Page and Related Initiative.
• ● Remote-Global How GitLab Supports Full-Time Employees
• ● Flexible Paid Time Off
• ● Team Member Resource Groups
• ● Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• ● Growth and Development Fund
• ● Parental Leave
• ● Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.
• ● Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.
• ● Privacy Policy: Please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy. Your privacy is important to us.
• ● GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab's policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information (including family medical history), discharge status from the military, protected veteran status (which includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans), or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also GitLab's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law . If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation , please let us know during the recruiting process .