Job Description

GitLab is an open-core software company that develops the most comprehensive , used by more than 100,000 organizations. Our is to enable everyone to contribute to and co-create the software that powers our world. When everyone can contribute, consumers become contributors, significantly accelerating human progress. Our platform unites teams and organizations, breaking down barriers and redefining what's possible in software development. Thanks to products like and , customers get AI benefits at every stage of the SDLC.
The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier, with all team members expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact. GitLab is where careers accelerate, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued. Our high-performance culture is driven by our and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems. as we build technology that transforms how the world develops software.
An overview of this role
As an Engineering Manager for the Auth Infrastructure team at GitLab, you'll lead a talented group of engineers building the critical infrastructure layer that powers GitLab's authentication and authorization systems at scale. This role focuses on the foundational components that enable secure, performant, and reliable identity services across all GitLab deployment models while supporting our transition to a zero-trust architecture.
At GitLab, we see our team as our product. While you'll need deep technical expertise in distributed systems, proxy technologies, and infrastructure security, your primary focus will be on nurturing your team's health, hiring exceptional talent, and positioning them for success.
You'll collaborate closely with the Authentication and Authorization teams to ensure the infrastructure layer can support their requirements, while working with Platform and Infrastructure teams to ensure seamless integration across GitLab's architecture.
Your leadership will be instrumental in building the infrastructure foundation for GitLab's Identity and Access Management (IAM) Services.
This is a unique opportunity to solve authentication infrastructure challenges at global scale while enabling GitLab's evolution toward microservices and zero-trust security.
This role is an extension of the .
What You'll Do

• Lead the design and implementation of GitLab's authentication infrastructure layer, including Envoy proxy configuration, token services, and policy decision infrastructure
• Solve critical infrastructure challenges including bi-directional gRPC tunnels, mTLS implementation, short-lived certificate management and service mesh architecture
• Ensure infrastructure supports multiple deployment models: GitLab.com (millions of users), self-managed, Dedicated, and air-gapped environments
• Lead performance optimization efforts for authentication decisions at scale
• Implement infrastructure monitoring, observability, and debugging capabilities for distributed authentication systems

What You'll Bring

• Significant experience in engineering management with focus on infrastructure and distributed systems
• Deep expertise in proxy technologies (Envoy, Traefik, HAProxy, nginx) and edge routing
• Experience with DB technologies and storage, such as RDS, Google Spanner, Postgres or similar.
• Strong background in Go and/or Rust for building high-performance infrastructure services
• Experience with service mesh architectures, mTLS, and zero-trust networking
• Expertise in gRPC, REST APIs, and service-to-service communication patterns
• Understanding of token systems (JWT, Macaroons), cryptographic signing, and key management
• Knowledge of Kubernetes, container orchestration, and cloud-native deployment patterns
• Proven track record of building and scaling engineering teams focused on infrastructure
• Experience with infrastructure automation, CI/CD, and GitOps practices
• Strong debugging and performance optimization skills for distributed systems

About the team
The Auth Infrastructure team is one of three authentication-focused teams within GitLab's Software Supply Chain Security , specifically created to provide the infrastructure foundation for GitLab's authentication transformation.
Your team will tackle some of the most challenging infrastructure problems in distributed systems: building a proxy layer that handles millions of requests per second, implementing zero-downtime migrations of authentication infrastructure, designing resilient token services, and creating the foundation for policy-based authorization at scale.
The team works at the intersection of security and infrastructure, collaborating closely with:

• Authentication & Authorization teams for requirements and integration
• Platform/Infrastructure teams for deployment and operations
• Cells Architecture team for multi-tenant routing and isolation
• Runner team for CI/CD authentication infrastructure

How GitLab will support you
, work environment support
Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.
The base salary range for this role's listed level is currently for residents of listed locations only. Grade level and salary ranges are determined through interviews and a review of education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities of the applicant, equity with other team members, and alignment with market data. See more information on our and . Sales roles are also eligible for incentive pay targeted at up to 100% of the offered base salary.
California/Colorado/Hawaii/New Jersey/New York/Washington/DC/Illinois/Minnesota pay range
$131,600--$282,000 USD
Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.
Privacy Policy: Please review our Your privacy is important to us.
GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab's policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information (including family medical history), discharge status from the military, protected veteran status (which includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans), or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also and . If you have a disability or special need that requires , please let us know during the .

Skills Required