Staff Backend Engineer - Database Change Management

Overview

Staff Backend Engineer focused on Database Change Management. You will help replace GitLab’s sequential database migration system with a dependency graph model to make upgrades faster and safer, and lead the design and delivery of migration validation and test tooling.

What you'll do

• Lead the design and delivery of a migration validation and test framework.
• Contribute to a dependency graph migration system for safe ordering, parallel execution, and low-downtime three-phase upgrades.
• Mentor intermediate engineers through pairing, code review, and design feedback.
• Make and document technical decisions asynchronously for a distributed team.
• Review schema migrations for safety, backward compatibility, and reliability.
• Collaborate with multiple database and quality-related teams to support GitLab.com and self-managed deployments.

What you'll need

• Deep experience with Ruby on Rails (including Active Record migration internals) or comparable migration depth in another framework.
• Production PostgreSQL experience, including schema changes on large tables and locking behavior.
• Experience producing a system end-to-end from design through implementation and adoption.
• Experience mentoring engineers via pairing, code review, and technical feedback.
• Strong written communication and ability to make progress independently in an asynchronous environment.
• Sound judgment balancing reliability, safety, backward compatibility, and delivery needs.
• Interest in serving as a senior technical presence for an India-based engineering group while collaborating across regions.

Details

• Location: Bangalore, India.