Senior Backend Engineer, Database Excellence (Ruby)

GitLab
United Kingdom
Workplace: RemoteFull timeFunction: Software EngineeringSkills: ["Written communication","Asynchronous collaboration","Self-directed","Organizational skills","System-level reasoning"]

Build and evolve backend data frameworks and tooling that keep GitLab’s application datastores scalable, healthy, and safe across GitLab.com and self-managed instances. Drive data growth controls with retention and lifecycle management, enforce retention policies at schema-change time, and prevent unsustainable database growth using “shift-left” guardrails. Partner with product, UX, infrastructure, software delivery, and analytics teams while working hands-on with PostgreSQL and Ruby on Rails in a fully remote environment.

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FursaFursa
GitLab
GitLab
1 week ago

Senior Backend Engineer, Database Excellence (Ruby)

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Last checked: 4 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Build and evolve backend data frameworks and tooling that keep GitLab’s application datastores scalable, healthy, and safe across GitLab.com and self-managed instances. Drive data growth controls with retention and lifecycle management, enforce retention policies at schema-change time, and prevent unsustainable database growth using “shift-left” guardrails. Partner with product, UX, infrastructure, software delivery, and analytics teams while working hands-on with PostgreSQL and Ruby on Rails in a fully remote environment.
Location: United Kingdom
Workplace: Remote
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Software Engineering
Seniority: Mid level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Develop and iterate backend features and data frameworks for safe, efficient data work at scale across SaaS and self-managed deployments.
  • •Design and build retention and lifecycle management frameworks, including retention policy enforcement, bulk data removal tooling, and identification of tables needing policies.
  • •Build shift-left guardrails (static analysis checks and schema-change-time enforcement) to catch unsustainable data growth patterns before production.
  • •Collaborate with product management, UX, frontend, infrastructure, software delivery, and analytics teams to design and ship high-performing solutions.
  • •Research, design, and implement improvements to retention/lifecycle, database performance, scalability, and data health (including soft delete strategies and migration testing).

Pay and Benefits

Equity and Bonus:Equity
Perks:Paid LeaveEquityLearning BudgetParental Leave

Key Requirements

  • •Professional software engineering experience working with PostgreSQL in large, complex production environments, including high availability, zero-downtime migrations, and handling large or fast-growing datasets.
  • •Proficiency with Ruby on Rails (or another Ruby framework), including designing, implementing, and reviewing backend features.
  • •Ability to reason about software design, algorithms, and performance trade-offs at the system level.
  • •Strong written communication skills and comfort working asynchronously in an all-remote, distributed team.
  • •Self-directed work style with effective organizational skills and ability to manage priorities as a "manager of one".
Experience:Open sourceDeveloper toolsSaaSSelf-managed deployments
Skills:Written communicationAsynchronous collaborationSelf-directedOrganizational skillsSystem-level reasoning
Languages:English
Tech Stack:PostgreSQLRuby on RailsRubySQLData retentionData lifecycle managementZero-downtime migrationsStatic analysisSchema-change-time enforcementSoft deleteDatabase migrationsSQL traffic replayBackground operations

Company Brief

GitLab
Provides a single application for the complete DevSecOps lifecycle, offering source code management, CI/CD, security, and collaboration tools to help teams deliver software faster and more securely.
Industry: Developer Tools
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Revenue: USD 250M to 500M
Growth: Public Company
Valuation: Public Company (Market Cap in USD)
Funding: IPO / Publicly Listed
Headquarters: San Francisco, United States
Founded: 2011
WebsiteLinkedIn