Engineering Manager, Database Reliability, Scalability & Operations

GitLab; Remote; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software company is seeking an Engineering Manager for their Database Reliability, Scale & Operations team. This role requires a strong leader to oversee GitLab.com's PostgreSQL infrastructure and guide the team towards operational excellence. The ideal candidate should have experience in managing distributed engineering teams, enhancing database performance, and implementing strategic improvements. This position offers a collaborative remote working environment with opportunities for innovation and growth.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience managing engineering teams in a production environment.
• Proven ability to design and operate database systems at large scale.
• Experience with cost optimization and architectural decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Database Reliability, Scale & Operations team to ensure system reliability.
• Define database strategy and manage hiring and coaching of team members.
• Collaborate across teams to optimize database performance and security.

Skills

Leadership

Collaboration

Communication Skills

Database Operations

Agile Methodologies

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

PostgreSQL

Distributed Systems

Job description

Engineering Manager, Database Reliability, Scalability & Operations

Remote, Canada; Remote, US

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.

An overview of this role

As an Engineering Manager for our Database Reliability, Scale & Operations team, you’ll build and lead the group that owns GitLab.com’s PostgreSQL backbone. You’ll shape our database strategy and architecture, guide data store selection for different use cases, and drive operational excellence so our customers experience a fast, always available platform as we continue to grow. Your work will span technical leadership and people management. You’ll hire and coach exceptional engineers, set clear and measurable objectives, and act as a force multiplier by enforcing healthy database practices and helping the team move from reactive firefighting to proactive planning. You’ll collaborate closely with Platform/Infrastructure, Product, Development, and Support teams, serve as the escalation point for Tier-2 on-call, and ensure lessons from running PostgreSQL at scale feed back into how GitLab builds and operates its product.

Some examples of our projects:

• Scaling PostgreSQL horizontally and vertically to support GitLab.com growth
• Improving performance, capacity, compliance, and availability of our database infrastructure

What you’ll do

• Lead the Database Reliability, Scale & Operations team to ensure availability, security, scalability, and operational excellence for GitLab.com
• Define and drive database strategy, including data store selection for different use cases and cost optimization across environments
• Build, coach, and retain a high-performing, distributed engineering team, creating an environment where team members can thrive and deliver results
• Set clear objectives, establish healthy database practices, and hold the team accountable while acting as a force multiplier for their impact
• Collaborate with Platform, Infrastructure, Product, Development, and Support teams to influence and advocate for sound database decisions across GitLab
• Serve as the escalation point for the team’s Tier-2 on-call process to help GitLab.com meet availability and reliability goals
• Lead agile projects focused on PostgreSQL reliability, performance, capacity management, and scaling initiatives in an asynchronous, remote-first environment
• Translate complex database and distributed systems topics into clear, actionable language for technical and non-technical stakeholders

What you’ll bring

• Experience leading distributed engineering teams responsible for reliability, scale, and operations in a production environment
• Background in hiring, coaching, and developing engineers, with a focus on building healthy team culture and sustainable on-call practices
• Applied experience designing and operating database systems at scale, including PostgreSQL and distributed data stores, with attention to performance, availability, and security
• Ability to define database strategy, including data store selection and cost-conscious architectural decisions, in collaboration with product and platform stakeholders
• Practice setting clear, measurable objectives, establishing operational best practices, and holding teams accountable while remaining open to feedback and iteration
• Skill in collaborating across infrastructure, platform, product, and support teams to drive shared outcomes and resolve complex technical issues
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to explain database decisions and risks to leadership and non-technical partners
• Openness to candidates with diverse backgrounds and transferable skills relevant to database reliability, large-scale systems, and technical people management

About the team

At GitLab, our Database Reliability, Scale & Operations team is responsible for building, running, and owning the full lifecycle of the PostgreSQL database engine that powers GitLab.com. We focus on reliability, scalability, performance, and security of the database and its supporting services, and we develop patterns and frameworks that guide how GitLab grows and scales its database infrastructure for both SaaS and self-managed customers. We work asynchronously across regions, using engineering principles and production learnings to inform our decisions and to feed improvements back into Product, Development, and Support. We partner closely with Support when self-managed customers encounter complex database issues and continuously look for ways to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive capacity planning, compliance alignment, and resilience engineering.

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.

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, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, discharge status from the military, protected veteran status, 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.

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