GitLab is an open-core software company that develops the most comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps Platform, used by more than 100,000 organizations. Our mission is to enable everyone to contribute to and co-create the software that powers our world. When everyone can contribute, consumers become contributors, significantly accelerating human progress. Our platform unites teams and organizations, breaking down barriers and redefining what's possible in software development. Thanks to products like Duo Enterprise and Duo Agent Platform, customers get AI benefits at every stage of the SDLC.
The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier, with all team members expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact. GitLab is where careers accelerate, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued. Our high-performance culture is driven by our values and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems. Co-create the future with us as we build technology that transforms how the world develops software.
As a Staff Backend Engineer on the AI Engineering: Agent Foundations group, you’ll build and evolve the core Python service that powers GitLab’s Duo Agent Platform. You’ll design and run the platform that hosts and coordinates AI agents and flows, enabling both GitLab teams and customers to automate development tasks and improve productivity across their workflows. You’ll lead efforts to apply modern Python web development practices, orchestrate communication between services via gRPC, and contribute directly to agentic AI capabilities and interactions with the latest large language models. In a company where Ruby is the primary language, you’ll be the go-to Python expert. You’ll set standards, mentor others, and shape technical and product decisions that define how AI is integrated into GitLab’s DevSecOps platform.
Some examples of our projects:
- Duo Workflow Architecture
- Componentizing Duo Workflow Graph
- Lead the design and development of a highly scalable Python web service that hosts and coordinates AI agents using frameworks such as FastAPI or Starlette and gRPC.
- Develop and evolve integrations with the latest large language models, including prompt design and agentic behavior orchestration within the Duo Agent Platform.
- Build and maintain robust testing infrastructure to validate agent behaviors and ensure reliability, observability, and scalability across distributed systems.
- Drive adoption of modern Python backend best practices, setting standards for code quality, performance optimization, and security across the service.
- Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineers across the AI Engineering and Code Creation teams, raising the overall technical bar.
- Influence product and architecture decisions by proposing iterative solutions to complex technical challenges in multi-service environments.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams in product, engineering, marketing, and more to shape AI-powered development capabilities and customer-facing experiences.
- Participate in Tier 2 and Tier 3 on-call rotations to troubleshoot production, security, and urgent engineering issues in a globally distributed environment.
- Deep experience building and operating Python web services in a multi service environment using frameworks such as FastAPI or Starlette.
- Proven track record designing and leading complex, distributed backend systems with a focus on reliability, observability, scalability, and performance for high volume APIs.
- Hands on experience integrating AI and machine learning capabilities into products, including work with large language models and prompt design.
- Ability to architect and evolve gRPC based service interactions and collaborate effectively with teams working in other languages and stacks.
- Experience mentoring other engineers, providing technical guidance, and influencing engineering strategy across multiple teams.
- Comfortable representing engineering decisions and AI powered capabilities in discussions with product partners, customers, and other stakeholders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for working asynchronously in a remote, globally distributed team.
- Openness to learning new technologies and applying transferable skills, including experience in languages such as Go, Typescript, Ruby, or IDE extension development as a plus.
The Agent Foundations group sits within GitLab’s AI Engineering organization and is responsible for building the Duo Agent Platform, which provides the core services, agents, and flows that power AI-driven development experiences across GitLab. We are distributed across multiple regions and time zones, collaborating asynchronously through GitLab issues, merge requests, and written proposals to design, implement, and operate a highly scalable Python and gRPC-based platform. We partner closely with other GitLab AI teams and product groups to ensure that agentic capabilities can become the backbone for many current and future AI features, while tackling challenges such as reliable orchestration of agents, robust observability, and safe, testable AI behavior.
- Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
- Flexible Paid Time Off
- Team Member Resource Groups
- Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Growth and Development Fund
- Parental leave
- Home office support
Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.
Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.
Privacy Policy: Please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy. Your privacy is important to us.
GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab’s policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless 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 (which includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans), or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also GitLab’s EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.
