Staff Backend Engineer, SSCS: AI Governance

ABOUT THE ROLE As a Staff Backend Engineer - AI Governance at GitLab, you will play a key role in shaping the technical foundation for how GitLab Duo agents are governed at enterprise scale. This position sits at the intersection of AI systems, compliance, auditability, and backend architecture. You will be responsible for defining core systems that provide customers with clear visibility into AI agent activity and the controls they need to manage usage with clarity. WHAT YOU'LL DO As a Staff Backend Engineer - AI Governance, your responsibilities will include: - Defining and driving backend architecture for AI governance systems, including auditability, policy enforcement, and enterprise reporting capabilities. - Designing the AI audit event system, including event schema, pipelines, storage patterns, retention considerations, and export surfaces. - Building and guiding the integration layer between the Duo Agent Platform and governance capabilities. - Guiding technical design for tool and registry governance, including metadata models, permissions, and controls for managed tool usage. - Defining backend foundations for a declarative policy framework that governs which agents and tools can be used under specific conditions. - Driving architectural consistency and implementation quality across teams by reviewing significant merge requests and contributing to technical RFCs. - Strengthening team effectiveness and technical decision-making by mentoring other engineers and coordinating efforts across teams. WHAT YOU'LL NEED To succeed in this role, you will need: - Strong experience designing and operating backend systems at scale, especially in domains that require auditability, governance, or compliance. - Deep knowledge of authorization and access control patterns, such as role-based access control (RBAC), attribute-based access control (ABAC), and policy-as-code approaches. - Strong Ruby on Rails experience in production SaaS environments. - Strong Python experience, especially in systems related to AI services, orchestration layers, or service integrations. - Experience designing REST APIs and GraphQL APIs for internal or external platform use. - Familiarity with high-scale data and storage systems, including technologies such as Postgres and ClickHouse. - Proven experience guiding large, cross-team technical efforts in an async, RFC-driven engineering environment. - Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate technical decisions in writing and discussion. WHY REMOTE As a remote employee at GitLab, you will have the flexibility to work from anywhere and be part of a global team that values collaboration and innovation. BENEFITS - Competitive salary - Comprehensive benefits package - Opportunity to work on high-impact projects that shape the future of software development - Collaborative and dynamic work environment - Flexible work arrangements, including remote work options - Professional development opportunities, including training and mentorship programs