[Hiring] Staff Backend Engineer, Database Automation @GitLab

Role Description

As a Senior or Staff Backend Engineer with the Database Excellence group, you'll build and evolve database automation and PostgreSQL as a service capabilities for GitLab. The level will be determined during the hiring process. You'll use Go to automate the full lifecycle of PostgreSQL across GitLab's infrastructure, making database operations safer, more consistent, and easier to scale for databases that sit behind high-throughput, always-on internet services. You'll work closely with partner teams to shape how GitLab provisions and manages PostgreSQL in a fully remote, highly collaborative environment.

• SQL Traffic Replay Tooling, which validates upgrades and changes against real production workloads.
• PostgreSQL as a Service Platform, which provides standardized, automated provisioning and lifecycle management for internal product databases.
• PostgreSQL Major Version Upgrade Automation, which supports safe, repeatable major upgrades at GitLab.com scale.

What you’ll do

• Design, build, and maintain Go-based automation that manages the full PostgreSQL lifecycle, including provisioning, configuration, upgrades, failover, scaling, and decommissioning.
• Build automation that works across infrastructure-as-code tooling and cloud infrastructure.
• Use AI agents as a regular part of building and operating services.
• Build for internet scale by designing automation and services for high-throughput, always-on production workloads.
• Integrate compute, storage, networking, identity and access management, and managed data services across cloud providers into one coherent PostgreSQL platform.
• Build GitLab's PostgreSQL as a service platform to replace bespoke database setups with standardized, automated provisioning and lifecycle management.
• Collaborate closely with product management, infrastructure, software delivery, and other engineering teams.
• Research, design, and implement improvements to PostgreSQL performance, scalability, and data health.
• Review database automation and Go changes from other engineers and contributors.
• Document automation practices, PostgreSQL operational patterns, and guidance.
• Build safe, repeatable automation for PostgreSQL major version upgrades at GitLab.com scale.
• Operate what you build in production from end to end.

Qualifications

• Professional software engineering experience working with PostgreSQL in large, complex production environments.
• Proficiency with Go, including designing, implementing, testing, and reviewing backend services.
• Experience developing Kubernetes operators, controllers, or similar automation for the lifecycle of stateful services.
• Comfort with infrastructure as code and core database operations concepts.
• Familiarity with Ruby is a plus but isn't required.
• Strong written communication skills and comfort working asynchronously in an all-remote, distributed team.
• Self-directed work style with effective organizational skills.
• Ownership of the technical direction for a major initiative.
• Influence beyond the team, setting the patterns other engineers follow.

Benefits

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