Senior Backend Engineer

Role Overview

Join GitLab as a Senior Backend Engineer on the Pipeline Security team. You’ll take technical ownership of GitLab’s native Secrets Manager, helping shape its architecture and security posture across backend services and deployment configuration.

Key Missions

• Assume technical ownership of GitLab’s native Secrets Manager (production system built on OpenBao)
• Work at the intersection of backend engineering and infrastructure
• Shape architecture in Ruby on Rails and Go
• Define and guide decisions around:
  • Role-based access control (RBAC)
  • GraphQL APIs
  • Kubernetes deployment configuration
• Deliver features with end-to-end ownership and iterative improvements
• Collaborate with Product, security partners, and other engineering teams to document tradeoffs and align on direction

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain secure backend features with a focus on:
  • secure design
  • safe data handling
  • production reliability
• Improve code quality and performance
• Review merge requests with a security-first mindset and iterate based on feedback
• Debug production issues, including security-related behavior, and propose practical fixes

Requirements

• Working knowledge of CI/CD concepts and how pipelines can be misconfigured, abused, or expose sensitive data
• Experience building and maintaining backend features with secure design and production reliability in mind
• Comfort collaborating asynchronously in a distributed environment and communicating technical tradeoffs clearly in writing
• Ability to write production-quality Ruby on Rails code, including framework security patterns and review for common application risks
• Experience reviewing merge requests and improving solutions through feedback
• Ability to debug production issues, including security-related behavior
• Familiarity with secrets management approaches and security practices for credentials in CI environments
  • Experience with HashiCorp Vault or similar systems is helpful

Nice to Have / Learning Opportunities

• Openness to learning adjacent domains and tools such as Go, container security, and software supply chain security
• Transferable experience from different technical backgrounds

Location

• Full remote