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An overview of this role
As a Staff Backend Engineer at GitLab, you will help shape a major investment in our Software Supply Chain Security offering. In this role, you'll serve as a senior technical leader for backend systems that help customers secure how software is built, verified, and delivered inside the GitLab platform. You'll work on foundational capabilities across package policy enforcement, build provenance, artifact signing, and malicious package detection, with a strong focus on enterprise-grade security and performance.
You'll define architecture before systems are built, write clear technical proposals, and guide implementation across interconnected parts of GitLab such as CI/CD, dependency management, and security workflows. This role is a strong fit for someone who enjoys solving complex backend problems, influencing technical direction across teams, and building security features that matter to customers facing real threats. You'll do this in GitLab's remote, asynchronous, and values-driven environment, where written communication, ownership, and teamwork are central to how we work.
Some examples of our projects:
- Dependency Firewall for package policy enforcement across supported registries
- Artifact attestation and signing using supply chain security standards and the Sigstore ecosystem
What you’ll do
- Define and drive the technical architecture for the SSCS Add-On, including backend systems for package policy enforcement, provenance generation, artifact signing, and malicious package detection.
- Lead design and implementation work for Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts (SLSA) Level 2 and Level 3 capabilities within GitLab CI/CD.
- Architect integrations with Sigstore services such as Cosign, Fulcio, and Rekor, including approaches for signing workflows, verification, and trust boundaries.
- Design backend services and request paths that support allow, deny, and quarantine package policies with strong performance and reliability expectations.
- Review merge requests with a focus on security, architectural consistency, maintainability, and test quality.
- Mentor Backend Engineers across experience levels, helping raise the technical bar through design guidance, feedback, and hiring participation.
- Partner with Product, Infrastructure, Authentication, Authorization, and Security counterparts on cross-team technical decisions.
- Contribute to relevant open source and industry conversations, including working groups related to software supply chain security where appropriate.
What you’ll bring
- Strong experience building backend applications with Ruby on Rails in a high-scale production environment.
- Professional experience with Go for backend or infrastructure-oriented services.
- A track record of leading architecture across multiple systems and influencing technical direction through strong engineering judgment.
- Experience writing clear technical proposals, request for comments documents, and decision records in an async, documentation-first environment.
- A solid security mindset and comfort working on products where trust, risk reduction, and secure defaults are central requirements.
- Familiarity with software supply chain security concepts such as build provenance, artifact signing, dependency security, or software bill of materials.
- Strong teamwork and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across distributed teams and functions.
- Interest in GitLab's values and in building secure, scalable product capabilities that help customers ship software with confidence.
About the team
The SSCS Add-On team is part of GitLab's Software Supply Chain Security stage and is focused on building a commercial offering that addresses real supply chain security challenges for enterprise customers. The team works on capabilities that combine multiple parts of the GitLab product into a more complete security solution for organizations with strong compliance and risk management needs.
The work is both technically interesting and strategically important. The team is building in a space shaped by fast-moving threats, evolving customer requirements, and close coordination with nearby teams across the broader security area. That combination creates an environment where engineers can contribute to product direction while solving practical backend challenges in a visible part of GitLab's platform. For more on how related teams work, see Team Handbook Page.
How GitLab Supports Full-Time Employees
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.
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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.
