Senior Backend Engineer

An overview of this role

As a Senior Backend Engineer (Ruby on Rails) on the Plan: Knowledge group, you'll help shape how teams plan, document, and share knowledge in GitLab. You'll build and improve the backend systems behind Wiki, Pages, Markdown, and text editors, while also helping design AI-powered capabilities such as the planner agent and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations that connect GitLab's GraphQL APIs with external tools. In this role, you'll work closely with frontend engineers, Product, UX, and Security to create reliable, scalable systems that support both technical and non-technical users across GitLab's planning experience. As part of GitLab's AI-first culture, you'll also use the Duo Agent Platform in your daily workflow to improve productivity and support faster iteration.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Some examples of our projects:

• Building AI agents such as the planner agent to support planning and knowledge management workflows
• Architecting MCP integrations that expose GitLab GraphQL APIs to external AI tools and platforms

What you'll do

• Lead backend architecture for Wiki, Pages, Markdown, and text editor capabilities used across GitLab.
• Design and build AI agents that support planning and knowledge management workflows.
• Architect MCP integrations that connect GitLab GraphQL APIs with external AI platforms and tools.
• Drive improvements in reliability and performance across application code, PostgreSQL queries, Redis usage, and background jobs.
• Develop and evolve GraphQL APIs that are clear for frontend engineers and support scalable product experiences.
• Collaborate with frontend engineers, Product, UX, and Security to break down complex work into shippable iterations.
• Mentor engineers through code review, technical discussions, and shared backend best practices.
• Support incident response and production debugging, then turn learnings into lasting system improvements.

What you'll bring

• Strong experience building and maintaining backend applications with Ruby on Rails, including core components such as ActiveRecord and Redis.
• Experience designing and supporting GraphQL APIs with attention to usability, maintainability, and performance.
• Knowledge of PostgreSQL query design, optimization, and scaling in high-traffic production systems.
• Experience building or integrating AI agents, intelligent workflows, or related platform capabilities.
• Familiarity with Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar patterns for connecting APIs to external tools and platforms.
• Ability to investigate production issues, debug complex systems, and improve reliability over time.
• Experience leading technical decisions, mentoring engineers, and contributing to engineering standards across a team.
• Clear communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, with openness to candidates who bring transferable experience from adjacent backend or platform work.

About the team

The Plan: Knowledge group owns core knowledge management experiences in GitLab, including Wiki, Pages, Markdown, and Text Editors, and is expanding those foundations with AI-powered capabilities such as the planner agent and MCP-based integrations. The team includes 6 engineers and works with a Product Manager, Engineering Manager, Product Designer, and Technical Writer. Like many teams at GitLab, they collaborate asynchronously across regions and work closely with the broader Plan stage to solve backend scale, editing experience, and AI integration challenges in one shared platform. For more on the team's direction, see the Plan: Knowledge Direction Page.