Backend Engineer (Source Code Experience (Ruby)

GitLab; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Flexible schedule

Equity compensation

Paid time off

Job summary

GitLab in Ottawa, Canada is seeking a Backend Engineer for the Source Code Experience team. You will develop secure, well-tested backend features using Ruby and GraphQL to improve source code workflows across GitLab.com and self-managed instances.

You will work through complex requirements, design backend services and data models, and contribute to observability, testing, and on-call duties to ensure reliability and scalable performance within the Create stage.

Qualifications

• Professional experience building backend web applications, services, or application programming interfaces, with experience using Ruby and GraphQL.
• An understanding of relational databases, structured query language, data modeling, caching, background processing, and backend performance practices.
• Experience contributing to user-facing workflows and maintaining their underlying systems.
• Experience using artificial intelligence coding agents and reviewing their output, or an interest in building these skills in a complex monorepo.
• Writing backend unit and integration tests, with familiarity with the testing pyramid, Git, and collaborative code review processes.
• Clear written and spoken English communication skills, including sharing useful status updates in a remote, asynchronous environment.

Skills

Backend development

API design

Relational databases

English communication

Tools

Ruby

GraphQL

SQL

Git

Job description

• We’re looking for a Backend Engineer to join our Source Code Experience team within GitLab’s Create stage. You’ll help make everyday source code workflows clear, reliable, and efficient for people working across GitLab projects. As artificial intelligence agents increasingly write and manage code alongside people, you’ll build backend capabilities and interfaces that support trustworthy collaboration between people and agents
• You’ll work in one of GitLab’s oldest and most complex product areas, using Ruby and GraphQL to improve critical source code experiences across GitLab.com, self-managed instances, and GitLab Dedicated. The Source Code group is responsible for the backend and frontend aspects of the product categories within Source Code
• With support from experienced team members, you’ll help maintain high reliability through performance and structured query language tuning, caching, rate limiting, testing, observability, and resiliency. You’ll collaborate with product management, product design, testing, security, user experience research, technical writing, Gitaly, Code Review, and other Source Code teams to deliver reliable and performant systems
• Develop secure, well-tested, performant features and improvements using Ruby and GraphQL
• Work through complex requirements and legacy constraints to deliver clear solutions while protecting the reliability of this critical system
• Design and maintain backend services, application programming interfaces, data models, and business logic that support intuitive source code workflows
• Collaborate across functions and teams, both asynchronously and synchronously, and involve domain experts when their input will improve the outcome
• Use artificial intelligence agents for well-scoped work when they can speed up delivery without sacrificing quality, and critically review their output
• Write maintainable code that follows GitLab’s standards and contribute to constructive code reviews
• Help strengthen reliability by monitoring production health metrics, participating in Tier 2 on-call, troubleshooting incidents, contributing to root cause analysis, and improving observability and resiliency
• Share knowledge through code review, technical documentation, and everyday collaboration while learning from others

Benefits

• We offer benefits to manage your health, wealth, and well-being regardless of location
• Flexibility in schedule to be there for life’s important moments
• Equity compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan offered
• Generous Paid Time Off

The ability to manage assigned priorities, work through ambiguity, take ownership of your work, and seek guidance when neededProfessional experience building backend web applications, services, or application programming interfaces, with experience using Ruby and GraphQLAn understanding of relational databases, structured query language, data modeling, caching, background processing, and backend performance practicesExperience contributing to user-facing workflows and maintaining their underlying systemsExperience using artificial intelligence coding agents and reviewing their output, or an interest in building these skills in a complex monorepoExperience writing backend unit and integration tests, with familiarity with the testing pyramid, Git, and collaborative code review processesClear written and spoken English communication skills, including sharing useful status updates in a remote, asynchronous environmentWe welcome candidates with different levels and types of experience. Many successful candidates don’t meet every requirement.