Backend Engineer (Python) Full Time NEW

GitLab is the leading intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps, empowering organizations to enhance developer productivity, streamline operational workflows, and mitigate security and compliance risks. With a user base exceeding 50 million registered users and over half of the Fortune 100 trusting GitLab, our platform facilitates faster, more secure software delivery, driving digital transformation across industries. Our commitment to innovation is reflected in our embrace of artificial intelligence as a core productivity enhancer, encouraging all team members to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to foster efficiency, creativity, and impact.

At GitLab, careers accelerate in a culture that values innovation, continuous learning, and diverse voices. Our high-performance environment is built on shared values and knowledge exchange, enabling team members to realize their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems. We are dedicated to building technology that transforms how the world develops software, co-creating the future with our talented teams.

About The Role

As a Staff Backend Engineer specializing in Python within the AI Engineering division, specifically on the Duo Chat team, you will play a pivotal role in designing and leading the backend architecture that powers GitLab Duo Chat across the entire GitLab DevSecOps platform. Your expertise will drive the development of reliable, secure, and scalable AI-powered chat workflows that enable customers to plan, write, review, and secure code more efficiently and confidently. This hands-on leadership position involves setting strategic direction for integrating and evolving large language model providers such as Google Vertex AI across Ruby on Rails and Python services. You will be instrumental in elevating observability, testing standards, and guiding the team through complex technical decisions that impact the platform’s high-impact features.

Over your first year, you will be expected to influence key architectural decisions, reduce technical debt to accelerate iteration, and deliver durable improvements in response quality, reliability, and maintainability. Your contributions will directly impact how users interact with AI-driven features, ensuring a seamless, secure, and high-performing experience.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience building and operating backend services in Python, including APIs, background jobs, and data models
• Proven ability to define and evolve technical architecture, making informed trade-offs and setting clear technical directions
• Experience leading and driving technical roadmaps in collaboration with product and engineering teams
• Proficiency in designing and maintaining REST and GraphQL APIs with a focus on scalability and maintainability
• Hands-on experience integrating large language models (LLMs) and generative AI capabilities into applications, including prompt design and feature development
• Strong SQL skills and experience working with relational databases such as PostgreSQL, including data modeling and query optimization
• Experience mentoring engineers through code reviews, architectural guidance, and establishing coding standards
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly in an asynchronous environment
• Comfort working in mature codebases across Python and Ruby on Rails, with a willingness to learn new technologies as needed

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the technical architecture and roadmap for the Duo Chat team, aligning development efforts with product goals and engineering priorities
• Lead the resolution of complex backend challenges, delivering secure, high-performance, and well-tested solutions with minimal supervision
• Integrate new generative AI models and providers, such as Google Vertex AI, to enhance Duo Chat capabilities
• Develop, deploy, and maintain backend features across Python and Ruby on Rails services that power the AI chat experiences within GitLab
• Design and implement GraphQL APIs and backend logic to ensure reliability, scalability, and seamless frontend integration
• Enhance observability, debugging workflows, and incident response processes through improved logging, tracing, and troubleshooting practices
• Establish and uphold coding standards, conduct thorough code reviews, and proactively address technical debt to ensure long-term maintainability
• Mentor team members, fostering technical growth and best practices across the engineering team
• Participate in Tier 2 on-call rotations, contributing to root cause analysis, incident management, and system resiliency improvements

Benefits

• Flexible Paid Time Off to support work-life balance
• Participation in Team Member Resource Groups promoting diversity and inclusion
• Equity Compensation and Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and Development Fund to support continuous learning
• Generous parental leave policies
• Support for remote work, including home office stipends and resources

Equal Opportunity

GitLab is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. We promote diversity and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities or special needs during the recruitment process. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and are essential to our success.