Staff Backend Engineer, Developer Experience (Ruby)

GitLab is an open-core software company that develops an AI-powered DevSecOps Platform used by over 100,000 organizations. As a Staff Backend Engineer in the Developer Experience group, you will work cross-functionally to enhance the engineering experience, focusing on transforming testing approaches and optimizing development processes to deliver high-quality code efficiently.

Responsibilities:

• Drive Technical Excellence Across Teams: Provide hands-on engineering contributions and technical leadership across six Developer Experience teams, jumping in to unblock critical work or accelerate high-impact initiatives
• Champion Engineering Needs: Partner with engineering teams across GitLab to identify pain points, gather feedback, and translate day-to-day frustrations into actionable improvements for the Developer Experience roadmap
• Transform Testing at Scale: Help us modernize our testing to support GitLab's growth and ensure engineers have fast, reliable tools that catch issues early without slowing them down
• Optimize CI/CD Pipelines: Reduce merge and CI friction by building workflows that deliver fast, actionable feedback and help engineers iterate confidently and ship faster
• Break Down Systemic Bottlenecks: Collaborate with Platform, Product, and Infrastructure teams to identify and eliminate the architectural and process friction that slows down development
• Shape Engineering Culture: Foster a culture of continuous learning, inclusion, and improvement, where great developer experience is a shared value across the organization

Requirements:

• Deep experience with developer tooling, DevEx strategies, and testing frameworks at scale
• Experience leading platform or transformation initiatives across multiple teams
• Proven ability to influence without authority and collaborate across functions
• Familiarity with DevOps workflows and CI/CD pipelines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in a remote-first environment
• A product mindset with a passion for empowering developers
• Alignment with GitLab values, especially collaboration, iteration, and transparency