Intermediate Backend Engineer - Database Change Management at GitLab

About GitLab

GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps, enabling organizations to boost developer productivity, enhance operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risks, and accelerate digital transformation. Trusted by over 50 million registered users and more than 50% of the Fortune 100, GitLab helps deliver better, more secure software faster. Our principles extend to how our team works: we leverage AI as a core productivity multiplier, expecting all team members to integrate AI into their daily workflows for efficiency, innovation, and impact. GitLab offers an environment where careers thrive, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued, driven by strong values and continuous knowledge exchange. Join us in co-creating the future of software development.

Intermediate Backend Engineer - Database Change Management: Role Overview

As an Intermediate Backend Engineer focused on GitLab's database upgrade experience, you will contribute to building software that ensures safe, fast, and predictable upgrades for both GitLab.com and self-managed customers. Working with Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL, you will develop and test systems to apply database schema changes during upgrades and proactively identify issues. This role operates in an all-remote, asynchronous, team-based environment, providing mentorship to develop skills in backend engineering, system design, and customer reliability issues related to upgrades. Examples of projects include systems for safe database schema changes, frameworks for testing schema changes, and checks to prevent upgrade problems.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and test systems for safely applying database schema changes during upgrades for GitLab.com and self-managed customers.
• Develop and maintain robust testing frameworks to validate schema changes prior to production deployment.
• Implement preventative checks and safeguards to detect and mitigate issues, preventing failed or slow customer upgrades.
• Review and improve database schema migrations from internal engineers and external contributors, ensuring safety, consistency, and backward compatibility.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, packaging, distribution, and QA teams to ensure a reliable and seamless upgrade experience for all customers.
• Document upgrade procedures, schema change patterns, and migration best practices to support other engineers.
• Work with operations teams to understand their needs and continuously enhance the safety and speed of customer upgrades, measured by reductions in failed or slow upgrades and improved reliability.

Success in this role involves shipping incremental improvements and progressively taking ownership of larger projects with efficient revision cycles.

What You’ll Bring

• Professional software engineering experience with PostgreSQL in large, complex production environments, including schema migrations and performance tuning.
• Proficiency in Ruby on Rails, with experience in designing, implementing, and reviewing backend features and services.
• Strong ability to reason about software design, algorithms, and system level trade offs, particularly concerning reliability, safety, and backward compatibility in production upgrades.
• Excellent written communication skills and comfort working asynchronously in an all remote, distributed team setting.
• A self directed work style with effective organizational skills, demonstrating the ability to manage priorities as a “manager of one.”
• Alignment with GitLab's values, including transparency, teamwork, inclusion, and commitment to open source practices.
• Experience working with operations or infrastructure teams, or a willingness to learn effective cross organizational collaboration.

Note: We encourage interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Studies show that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply unless they meet every qualification. If you are excited about this role, please apply and let our recruiters assess your application.

About the Team

We are a remote, agile backend team within the Database Excellence stage, dedicated to optimizing the database upgrade experience. We operate asynchronously and collaborate closely with Database Architecture, Database Health, Database Automation, packaging and distribution, QA, and operations teams to ensure customers experience safe, quick, and predictable upgrades.

How GitLab Supports Full Time Employees

• Comprehensive benefits supporting health, finances, and well being.
• Flexible Paid Time Off.
• Team Member Resource Groups.
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Growth and Development Fund for continuous learning.
• Parental Leave.

GitLab hires new team members globally. All roles are remote, though some may have specific location based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can provide location details during the recruiting process.