Senior Backend Engineer, Database Excellence – Ruby

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom.

📋 Description

• Develop and enhance backend features and data frameworks to ensure safe and efficient data management at scale, both for SaaS and self-managed deployments.

• Design and create frameworks for data retention and lifecycle management, which include policy enforcement, bulk data removal tools, and automated identification of tables requiring retention policies.

• Establish shift-left guardrails, such as static analysis checks and schema-change-time enforcement, to prevent unsustainable data proliferation prior to production.

• Collaborate with teams in product management, UX, frontend, infrastructure, software delivery, and analytics to design and deliver high-performing solutions.

• Review and enhance database-related modifications from engineers and community contributors, ensuring data integrity, safety, and performance are upheld.

• Design, build, and maintain tooling for SQL traffic replay and background operations.

• Research, design, and implement enhancements to data retention, lifecycle management, database performance, scalability, and data health.

• Document best practices for databases, anti-patterns, and guidance for data architecture.

• Create proactive tools and guardrails to identify and resolve performance and data issues early.

⛳️ Requirements

• Proven software engineering experience with PostgreSQL in large, intricate production environments.

• Familiarity with high availability solutions that feature automatic failover and zero-downtime data migrations.

• Experience in managing large or rapidly growing datasets through methods such as data retention, archiving, partitioning, or lifecycle management.

• Proficient in Ruby on Rails or another Ruby framework, including the design, implementation, and review of backend features.

• Ability to evaluate software design, algorithms, and performance trade-offs at a system-wide level.

• Excellent written communication skills and comfort in working asynchronously within an all-remote, distributed team environment.

• Self-directed work style with strong organizational skills and the ability to manage priorities effectively as an individual contributor.

• Commitment to GitLab's values, including transparency, collaboration, inclusion, and contributions to open source.

• Willingness to learn and apply new tools and approaches, including relevant experience from related data, infrastructure, or developer tooling domains.

• Readiness to participate in the tier 2 database on-call rotation within your time zone.

🏝️ Benefits

• Benefits to support your health, finances, and overall well-being.

• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Team Member Resource Groups.

• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

• Growth and Development Fund.

• Parental Leave.