# Senior Backend Engineer

**Company:** [GitLab](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/gitlab)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $139k – $235k/yr
**Experience:** 5+ years
**Skills:** Backend Architecture, APIs, Systems Programming, Distributed Systems, Concurrency, Profiling, Kubernetes, Postgres, ClickHouse, Event-Driven Systems, Modular Monoliths, Agentic AI, Performance Tuning, Incident Response
**Posted:** 2026-08-14

> Designs and evolves high-scale backend capabilities, making architectural trade-offs, improving reliability and performance, and mentoring engineers. The role requires strong backend and systems expertise plus production experience building reliable agentic AI systems.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Design and ship moderate to complex backend features with minimal guidance.
- Make pragmatic architectural choices between modular-monolith code, shared components, and independently operated services.
- Advocate for product quality, security, availability, performance, maintainability, testing, APIs, and operational readiness.
- Mentor associate and intermediate engineers, remove technical blockers, and improve delivery practices through code and design reviews.
- Diagnose and prevent performance and reliability issues at scale.
- Participate in incident response and act as a technical owner when appropriate.
- Use AI in production engineering work, evaluate its effectiveness, and coach others on responsible use.
- Collaborate across product, frontend, infrastructure, data, and security boundaries.

## Requirements
- Strong command of backend architecture, APIs, data systems, and performance tuning in complex product or service environments.
- Proficiency in modern backend languages and a deep understanding of systems programming.
- Experience designing or evolving modular backend boundaries, bounded contexts, and migration-safe architectures.
- Ability to lead through influence, technical judgment, and clear written communication.
- Proven experience building or operating agentic systems in production, including loops, tool use, and error-handling strategies.

## Nice-to-haves
- Experience with high-throughput distributed systems, concurrency, or profiling.
- Hands-on experience with containerized production operations.
- Database performance expertise, including schema evolution and partitioning.
- Background in large-scale modular monoliths or event-driven systems.
- Public technical communication, open-source maintenance, or experience with developer-focused SaaS.

## Compensation and Benefits
- Base salary: **$139,200–$235,200 USD** for United States residents.
- Benefits include flexible paid time off, team member resource groups, equity compensation, an employee stock purchase plan, a growth and development fund, and parental leave.

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