Senior Backend Engineer (Ruby on Rails), Plan: Knowledge

As a Senior Backend Engineer in 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.

You'll work closely with frontend engineers, Product, UX, and Security to create reliable, scalable systems that support both technical and non-technical users. 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.

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 Architecture: Lead backend architecture for Wiki, Pages, Markdown, and text editor capabilities used across GitLab.

• Build AI Agents: Design and build AI agents that support planning and knowledge management workflows.

• Architect MCP Integrations: Connect GitLab GraphQL APIs with external AI platforms and tools through MCP architecture.

• Optimize Performance: Drive improvements in reliability and performance across application code, PostgreSQL queries, Redis usage, and background jobs.

• Develop APIs: Evolve GraphQL APIs that are clear for frontend engineers and support scalable product experiences.

• Collaborate & Iterative: Partner with Product, UX, and Security to break down complex work into shippable iterations.

• Mentor: Guide other engineers through code reviews, technical discussions, and shared backend best practices.

• Production Support: Support incident response and production debugging, turning learnings into lasting system improvements.

What You’ll Bring

• Ruby on Rails Expertise: Strong experience building and maintaining backend applications, including core components like ActiveRecord and Redis.

• GraphQL Design: Experience designing and supporting GraphQL APIs with a focus on usability, maintainability, and performance.

• PostgreSQL Skills: Knowledge of query design, optimization, and scaling in high-traffic production systems.

• AI Integration: Experience building or integrating AI agents, intelligent workflows, or related platform capabilities.

• MCP Familiarity: Knowledge of Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar patterns for connecting APIs to external tools.

• System Debugging: Ability to investigate production issues and improve system reliability over time.

• Technical Leadership: Experience leading technical decisions and contributing to engineering standards across a team.

About the Team

The Plan: Knowledge group owns core knowledge management experiences in GitLab. 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 and AI integration challenges in one shared platform.