Senior Backend Engineer

Job description

GitLab is an open-core software company that develops the most comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps Platform, used by more than 100,000 organizations.

Our mission is to enable everyone to contribute to and co-create the software that powers our world.

When everyone can contribute, consumers become contributors, significantly accelerating human progress.

Our platform unites teams and organizations, breaking down barriers and redefining what's possible in software development.

Thanks to products like Duo Enterprise and Duo Agent Platform, customers get AI benefits at every stage of the SDLC.

The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier, with all team members expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact.

GitLab is where careers accelerate, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued.

Our high-performance culture is driven by our values and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems.

Co-create the future with us as we build technology that transforms how the world develops software.

An Overview Of This Role
As a Senior Backend Engineer on the Auth Infrastructure team at GitLab, you'll help build the critical infrastructure layer that powers GitLab's authentication and authorization systems at scale.

This role focuses on implementing and deploying the foundational components that enable secure, performant, and reliable identity services across all GitLab deployment models while supporting our transition to a zero-trust architecture.

You'll collaborate closely with the Authentication and Authorization teams to ensure the infrastructure layer can support their requirements, while working with Platform and Infrastructure teams to ensure seamless integration across GitLab's architecture.

This is a unique opportunity to solve authentication infrastructure challenges at global scale while enabling GitLab's evolution toward microservices and zero-trust security.

What You'll Do

• Design and implement components of GitLab's authentication infrastructure layer, including Envoy proxy configuration, token services, and policy decision infrastructure
• Develop solutions for critical infrastructure challenges including bi-directional gRPC tunnels, mTLS implementation, and service mesh architecture
• Build infrastructure that supports multiple deployment models: (millions of users), self-managed, Dedicated, and air-gapped environments
• Optimize performance for authentication decisions at scale
• Implement infrastructure monitoring, observability, and debugging capabilities for distributed authentication systems
• Contribute to the overall direction of the team and play a direct part in driving future roadmap direction of a secure and scalable authentication solution for GitLab
• Help to define and improve our internal standards for style, maintainability, and best practices for high-scale distributed systems
• Represent GitLab and its values in public communication around broader initiatives, specific projects, and community contributions

What You'll Bring

• Strong experience with Go and/or Rust for building high-performance infrastructure services
• Experience with proxy technologies (Envoy, Traefik, HAProxy, nginx) and edge routing
• Familiarity with DB technologies and storage, such as RDS, Google Spanner, Postgres or similar
• Experience with service mesh architectures, mTLS, and zero-trust networking
• Knowledge of gRPC, REST APIs, and service-to-service communication patterns
• Understanding of token systems (JWT, Macaroons), cryptographic signing, and key management
• Experience with Kubernetes, container orchestration, and cloud-native deployment patterns
• Strong debugging and performance optimization skills for distributed systems
• Proficiency in the English language, both written and verbal, sufficient for success in a remote and largely asynchronous work environment
• Demonstrated capacity to clearly and concisely communicate complex problems and solutions
• Comfort working in a highly agile, intensely iterative software development process
• Positive and solution-oriented mindset
• Experience owning a project from concept to production, including proposal, discussion, and execution
• Self-motivated and self-managing, with strong organizational skills

About The Team
Our mission is to empower GitLab system administrators with the toolkit they need to create their desired balance of security and accessibility for their GitLab experience.

Authentication is the first impression any new customer has when they configure their shiny new GitLab instance, and we aim to make it as seamless as possible: from that moment of first logging in, to onboarding users, to managing the basic security rules for their instance in a secure, flexible and scalable manner.

How GitLab Will Support You

• Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
• All remote, asynchronous work environment
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Team Member Resource Groups
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and Development Fund
• Parental leave
• Home office support

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.

Required Skill Profession

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