Backend Engineer (Ruby), Plan: Spec-Driven Development at GitLab

About the Role

As a Backend Engineer on the Plan: Spec-Driven Development team at GitLab, you will play a key role in building our intent-to-code loop. This involves creating agentic workflows that transform a stated intent into a refined work item, a concrete implementation plan, and verified, mergeable code.

You will be responsible for owning early stage backend work across flows, application programming interfaces, data models, and evaluation systems. Your primary tech stack will include Ruby on Rails, Python, PostgreSQL, GitLab Duo Agent Platform, large language model application programming interfaces, and an artificial intelligence gateway.

You will join a small, distributed team focused on one of GitLab's most visible product initiatives, collaborating with design partners as we move toward a public beta. In your first year, you are expected to lead major features from initial vague problems through release, help define scope with product and users, mentor fellow engineers, and influence technical decisions concerning agent workflows and evaluation methods.

What You Will Do

• Lead backend features from initial product discussions through technical design, implementation, rollout, and post-launch analysis.
• Build the workflows, application programming interfaces, and data models underpinning agent generated work items, implementation plans, durable specifications, and mergeable code.
• Develop evaluation and benchmarking systems to measure workflow quality, token cost, and overall success rate.
• Utilize Ruby on Rails and Python to construct reliable production systems, leveraging PostgreSQL, GraphQL, representational state transfer, GitLab Duo Agent Platform, large language model application programming interfaces, and an artificial intelligence gateway.
• Collaborate directly with product, design, engineers, design partners, and users to shape scope and determine practical trade-offs.
• Coordinate multi person projects across the team and clearly communicate decisions within GitLab's asynchronous, all remote environment.
• Mentor other engineers and contribute to the technical direction of the Plan group and related artificial intelligence initiatives.
• Work in short iterations, share progress via demos, and use feedback from results and users to inform subsequent development.

What You Will Bring

• Strong experience with Ruby on Rails within a large production codebase and practical production experience using Python.
• Demonstrated success driving substantial projects with multiple engineers over several months, resulting in clear user or business outcomes.
• A product mindset and experience owning features from end to end, which includes defining scope, making necessary trade offs, engaging with users, and learning from post launch adoption.
• A full stack background with a current concentration on backend engineering, while still possessing the ability to read modern frontend code and design effective APIs.
• Strong skills in application programming interface design and structured query language fundamentals.
• Experience exploring artificial intelligence assisted development.
• The capability to work independently, collaborate across functions and different regions, and provide support to others through technical leadership and mentoring.
• Experience with GraphQL, PostgreSQL performance at scale, or developing and evaluating large language model or agent systems is helpful but not mandatory. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and those with transferable experience to apply.

About the Team

We are a team of four engineers, consisting of two backend and two frontend engineers distributed across Canada and Europe. You will operate in an entirely remote, asynchronous first environment with weekly sync calls, retrospectives, demos, and short development cycles. This is early stage work offering broad ownership, creative space, and a fast pace.

For more information about our team and its work, please visit the Plan Team Handbook Page and the Spec-Driven Development Initiative page.

How GitLab Supports Full Time Employees

• Benefits designed to support your health, finances, and overall well being.
• Flexible Paid Time Off.
• Team Member Resource Groups.
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Growth and Development Fund.
• Parental Leave.

A Note from GitLab: We welcome interest from candidates across varying experience levels; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Furthermore, research indicates that individuals from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they fulfill every single qualification. If you are enthusiastic about this role, we encourage you to apply and allow our recruiters to evaluate your application. GitLab is a proud equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. Our policies regarding recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, irrespective 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, or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Please consult our EEO Policy for more details.