Intermediate Backend Engineer - Database Change Management 

An overview of this role

As an Intermediate Backend Engineer on the team that owns GitLab's database upgrade experience, you'll help build the software that makes upgrades safe, fast, and predictable for both GitLab.com and self-managed customers. Working in Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL alongside experienced engineers, you'll build and test the system that applies database schema changes during an upgrade and catches problems before they reach customers. It is an all-remote, asynchronous, highly team-based environment where you'll get mentorship and grow your skills in backend engineering, system design, and the reliability issues customers face when upgrading.

Some examples of our projects:

• System that runs database schema changes safely during upgrades
• Framework for testing schema changes before they ship to production
• Checks that catch problems before upgrades run

What you’ll do

• Build and test the system that safely applies database schema changes during upgrades for both GitLab.com and self-managed customers.
• Develop and maintain testing frameworks that validate schema changes before they reach production.
• Implement checks and safeguards that catch problems before upgrades run, preventing failed or slow upgrades for customers.
• Review and improve database schema migrations from other engineers and external contributors to ensure safety, consistency, and backward compatibility.
• Work cross-functionally with operations, packaging, distribution, and QA teams to ensure the upgrade experience is reliable and smooth for all customers.
• Document upgrade procedures, schema change patterns, and migration best practices to help other engineers work with and maintain the system.
• Work with operations teams to identify their needs and continuously improve the safety and speed of customer upgrades, with success measured by fewer failed or slow upgrades and a more reliable upgrade experience.

In this role, you'll succeed by shipping incremental improvements and, over time, taking ownership of larger pieces of work with shorter revision cycles.

What you’ll bring

• Professional software engineering experience working with PostgreSQL in large, complex production environments, including schema migrations and performance tuning.
• Proficiency with Ruby on Rails, with experience designing, implementing, and reviewing backend features and services.
• Ability to reason about software design, algorithms, and system-level trade-offs, particularly regarding reliability, safety, and backward compatibility in production upgrades.
• Strong written communication skills and comfort working asynchronously in an all-remote, distributed team.
• Self-directed work style with effective organizational skills and the ability to manage priorities as a "manager of one."
• Alignment with GitLab's values, including transparency, teamwork, inclusion, and contribution to open source practices.
• Experience working with operations or infrastructure teams, or willingness to learn how to effectively work across organizational boundaries.

About the team

We are a remote, agile backend group within the Database Excellence stage, with a focused mission on the database upgrade experience. We work asynchronously and partner closely with Database Architecture, Database Health, Database Automation, packaging and distribution, QA, and operations teams. Our work ensures that customers can upgrade safely, quickly, and predictably.