Senior Backend Engineer (Golang), SSCS: Authentication

GitLab; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software company is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to enhance authentication systems and contribute to a zero-trust architecture. The role requires strong Go or Rust experience, familiarity with proxy technologies, and skills in cloud-native deployment. Join a thriving team committed to innovative software solutions in a collaborative work environment.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with Go and/or Rust for building high-performance infrastructure services.
• Experience with proxy technologies and edge routing.
• Knowledge of gRPC, REST APIs, and service-to-service communication patterns.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement components of the authentication infrastructure layer.
• Develop solutions for critical infrastructure challenges.
• Build infrastructure for multiple deployment models.

Skills

Go

Rust

Proxy technologies (Envoy, Traefik, HAProxy, nginx)

Service mesh architectures

Kubernetes

Performance optimization

Debugging skills

English proficiency

Job description

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 a Senior Backend Engineer on the Auth Infrastructure team at GitLab, you'll help build the critical infrastructure layer that powers GitLab's authentication and authorization systems at scale. This role focuses on implementing and deploying the foundational components that enable secure, performant, and reliable identity services across all GitLab deployment models while supporting our transition to a zero-trust architecture.

You'll collaborate closely with the Authentication and Authorization teams to ensure the infrastructure layer can support their requirements, while working with Platform and Infrastructure teams to ensure seamless integration across GitLab's architecture.

This is a unique opportunity to solve authentication infrastructure challenges at global scale while enabling GitLab's evolution toward microservices and zero-trust security.

What you'll do

• Design and implement components of GitLab's authentication infrastructure layer, including Envoy proxy configuration, token services, and policy decision infrastructure
• Develop solutions for critical infrastructure challenges including bi-directional gRPC tunnels, mTLS implementation, and service mesh architecture
• Build infrastructure that supports multiple deployment models: GitLab.com (millions of users), self-managed, Dedicated, and air-gapped environments
• Optimize performance for authentication decisions at scale
• Implement infrastructure monitoring, observability, and debugging capabilities for distributed authentication systems
• Contribute to the overall direction of the team and play a direct part in driving future roadmap direction of a secure and scalable authentication solution for GitLab
• Help to define and improve our internal standards for style, maintainability, and best practices for high-scale distributed systems
• Represent GitLab and its values in public communication around broader initiatives, specific projects, and community contributions

What you'll bring

• Strong experience with Go and/or Rust for building high-performance infrastructure services
• Experience with proxy technologies (Envoy, Traefik, HAProxy, nginx) and edge routing
• Familiarity with DB technologies and storage, such as RDS, Google Spanner, Postgres or similar
• Experience with service mesh architectures, mTLS, and zero-trust networking
• Knowledge of gRPC, REST APIs, and service-to-service communication patterns
• Understanding of token systems (JWT, Macaroons), cryptographic signing, and key management
• Experience with Kubernetes, container orchestration, and cloud-native deployment patterns
• Strong debugging and performance optimization skills for distributed systems
• Proficiency in the English language, both written and verbal, sufficient for success in a remote and largely asynchronous work environment
• Demonstrated capacity to clearly and concisely communicate complex problems and solutions
• Comfort working in a highly agile, intensely iterative software development process
• Positive and solution-oriented mindset
• Experience owning a project from concept to production, including proposal, discussion, and execution
• Self-motivated and self-managing, with strong organizational skills

About the team

Our mission is to empower GitLab system administrators with the toolkit they need to create their desired balance of security and accessibility for their GitLab experience.

Authentication is the first impression any new customer has when they configure their GitLab instance, and we aim to make it as seamless as possible: from first logging in, to onboarding users, to managing basic security rules for their instance in a secure, flexible and scalable manner.

GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. Our policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of protected characteristics. See also GitLab's EEO Policy. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.

Apply for this job

To apply, please submit your resume/CV and a brief cover letter detailing your experience with authentication infrastructure and zero-trust architectures. This description intentionally focuses on the responsibilities and requirements of the role.