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GitLab is seeking a Staff Backend Engineer to provide technical leadership across backend teams and drive large-scale architectural initiatives. In this role, you will lead cross-cutting backend projects, modernize the monolith toward modular, independently operated systems, and establish standards for APIs, architecture, testing, security, performance, and operability across the organization.
You will combine deep backend expertise with systems and product judgment, influencing technical direction across teams without formal authority. Key responsibilities include: leading the design and delivery of large backend initiatives spanning multiple teams; driving modular backend and platform architecture strategy; defining and improving standards for APIs, contracts, schema evolution, testing, security, performance, observability, and maintainability; establishing shared patterns for dependency management, data ownership, eventing, and failure isolation; owning production systems through on-call participation and incident response; partnering with Product and Engineering leadership on platform roadmap and investment decisions; and mentoring Senior and Intermediate engineers.
This is a technical leadership role in a remote-first, asynchronous organization. You'll work with Product, Frontend, Infrastructure, Security, Data, and Engineering teams across product groups. The role emphasizes influence through clear written communication, decision records, and technical proposals rather than formal authority. You'll also lead adoption of AI-assisted and agentic engineering workflows while defining review, quality, security, and privacy guardrails.
GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps, trusted by more than 50% of the Fortune 100 and 50 million registered users. The company embraces AI as a core productivity multiplier and operates with values-driven, high-performance culture focused on continuous knowledge exchange and innovation.
