This description is a summary of our understanding of the job description. Click on 'Apply' button to find out more.

Role Description

As a Staff Backend Engineer (AI) in the Verify stage at GitLab, you'll help shape and scale the core infrastructure behind GitLab CI. You'll play a central role in how we integrate AI into CI/CD workflows. Your work will impact performance, reliability, and usability for people running millions of CI jobs, from small teams to the largest enterprises.

AI is a top priority in the year ahead. In this role, you'll go beyond using AI tools and help define how we design, build, and iterate on AI-assisted and agentic CI experiences. You'll set standards for what good looks like across our AI agent portfolio, including:

• How we measure success
• How we instrument behavior in production
• How we account for large language model limitations

You'll also help responsibly integrate GitLab's Duo Agent Platform into CI workflows at scale, on a foundation that's fast, reliable, secure, and observable.

As a Staff Engineer, you will:

• Partner with Engineering, Product, and UX leadership to pressure-test our priorities.
• Define what success looks like across our agent portfolio and ensure we're tracking against it.
• Bring a sharp eye to the competitive landscape.

Examples of Agentic CI work we have planned for the upcoming year:

• AI Pipeline Builder: the foundational CI agent that auto-creates pipelines for new projects.
• Automate the Fix a Failing Pipeline flow at scale.
• Build the instrumentation and observability layer for agentic CI.
• Harden the CI pipeline execution infrastructure.

What you’ll do:

• Shape and scale GitLab CI backend infrastructure.
• Design and implement AI-powered features for Agentic CI.
• Define what success looks like for AI in CI.
• Build the instrumentation and observability needed for AI-assisted CI.
• Own and drive measurable performance improvements across CI systems.
• Write secure, well-tested, maintainable Ruby on Rails code.
• Lead cross-functional technical work with Product, UX, and Infrastructure.
• Share standards, patterns, and learnings with other engineers.

Qualifications

• Advanced proficiency with Ruby and Ruby on Rails.
• Strong PostgreSQL skills.
• Hands-on experience building, running, and debugging high-traffic production systems.
• Practical experience designing and shipping AI-powered backend features.
• A data-driven approach to engineering.
• Familiarity with observability patterns and tools.
• Strong backend architecture and delivery practices.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.

Requirements

• Experience building and maintaining reliable backend services in a large codebase.
• Experience with data modeling, query tuning, and scaling large tables.
• Experience in CI, workflow orchestration, or adjacent infrastructure-heavy domains.
• Sound judgment about large language model limitations.
• Experience in defining hypotheses and measuring outcomes.
• Experience in secure design and well-tested code.

Benefits

• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Team Member Resource Groups
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and Development Fund
• Parental leave
• Home office support