Intermediate Software Engineer, Security Factory: Vulnerability Management

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Remote from: UK, Canada, Israel
Salary: Undisclosed
Department: Software Engineering
Employment: Full Time
Experience: Open level
Published: 25 Oct 2026
Apply before: 24 Nov 2026
Listing views: 16
Application actions: 0

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AI Summary

The role, at a glance.

This intermediate software engineering role builds backend workflows for GitLab's vulnerability-management product, including security dashboards, reports, and data-ingestion pipelines. The primary stack is Ruby on Rails with PostgreSQL, with occasional full-stack contributions using JavaScript or Vue.js. The engineer will improve the reliability, performance, and scalability of security data systems while participating in code reviews and an on-call rotation. The role requires close asynchronous collaboration with product, design, frontend, and security engineering teams in a distributed environment.

Role DNA

A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.

Job Complexity

4/5

EasyHard

Pace & Pressure

4/5

RelaxedFast-paced

Autonomy Level

4/5

GuidedFull ownership

Communication Load

4/5

IndependentCollaborative

AI insightThe role combines production Ruby on Rails engineering with high-scale security data workflows, performance concerns, and operational on-call responsibilities. It is intermediate-level but expects engineers to ship well-defined work confidently with minimal guidance.

Salary analysis

Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.

Estimated job median (per year)Highly competitive

$125,000

US market range (per year)$105k–$145k

0$159.50k

AI insightThe yearly pay period is inferred from the job context; it was not explicitly stated by the employer. No employer salary was disclosed. Estimated annual USD market compensation for an intermediate backend/software engineer working on security-focused SaaS systems is approximately $105,000–$145,000, with an estimated midpoint of $125,000; this is an AI estimate, not employer-provided compensation.

Core skills

Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.

Ruby on Rails PostgreSQL Backend Development Vulnerability Management Application Security Security Data Ingestion RESTful APIs JavaScript Vue.js Elasticsearch Code Review System Scalability Performance Optimization On-call Operations Asynchronous Collaboration

Sample interview questions

How would you design a reliable vulnerability-data ingestion pipeline in a Ruby on Rails application?

I would define a stable input contract, validate and normalize incoming findings, and process work asynchronously through idempotent jobs. I would use database constraints and deduplication keys to prevent duplicate records, capture actionable errors and metrics, and make retries safe. I would also design clear observability around throughput, failed jobs, and processing latency.

What steps would you take to improve a slow vulnerability report backed by PostgreSQL?

I would first measure the request and inspect query plans to identify expensive joins, missing indexes, N+1 queries, or unnecessary data loading. I would optimize the query shape and indexes, paginate large result sets, and consider caching or precomputed aggregates where freshness requirements allow. I would validate the change with production-like data and monitor performance after release.

Describe how you approach a production incident while participating in an on-call rotation.

I begin by assessing customer impact, stabilizing the service, and communicating status through the appropriate incident channel. I use logs, metrics, traces, and recent deployment history to form and test hypotheses, applying the smallest safe mitigation first. After resolution, I document the timeline, root cause, and follow-up actions such as tests, alerts, or reliability improvements.

How do you ensure a backend feature meets both product requirements and maintainability standards?

I clarify the user workflow and acceptance criteria with product and design partners before implementation, then break the work into reviewable increments. I use established application patterns, automated tests, clear interfaces, and documentation for non-obvious decisions. During review, I actively seek feedback on correctness, security, performance, and long-term ownership.

How would you collaborate effectively in GitLab's asynchronous distributed environment?

I would write concise updates that state context, decisions, progress, blockers, and requested feedback so colleagues in other time zones can act independently. I would keep issues, merge requests, and design discussions well documented and respond constructively in code review. For ambiguous problems, I would ask focused questions early and propose options rather than waiting for synchronous meetings.

Opportunity details

About this role.

GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps. GitLab enables organizations to increase developer productivity, improve operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risk, and accelerate digital transformation. More than 50 million registered users and more than 50% of the Fortune 100* trust GitLab to ship better, more secure software faster.

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 values and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems. Co-create the future with us as we build technology that transforms how the world develops software.

*Fortune 500® is a registered trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, used under license. Claim based on GitLab data. Fortune 100 refers to the top 20% ranked companies in the 2025 Fortune 500 list, published in June 2025. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of GitLab.

An overview of this role

As an Intermediate Software Engineer on GitLab’s Vulnerability Management team, you’ll help build the core security workflows that GitLab Ultimate customers use to triage, prioritize, and act on vulnerabilities. You’ll work primarily in Ruby on Rails on backend systems, including security dashboards, vulnerability reports, and ingestion pipelines. You’ll take ownership of well-defined projects, solve technical problems with support from experienced team members, and collaborate with other engineers. You’ll also have opportunities to contribute beyond the backend when the work requires it.

You will join a fullstack team, working together with product managers, designers, and frontend engineers to solve problems across the Vulnerability Management domain.

What you’ll do

Develop and maintain backend features for GitLab’s vulnerability management workflows.
Confidently ship features and improvements with minimal guidance and support from other team members; collaborate with the team on larger projects.
Help improve the performance, reliability, and scalability of security data ingestion and reporting systems.
Collaborate with frontend engineers and contribute across the stack when needed.
Work with engineers across security teams as vulnerability data and workflows come together in Vulnerability Management.

Collaborate with Product Management and Product Design to maintain a high bar for quality
Craft code that meets our internal standards for style, maintainability, and best practices for a high-scale web environment
Conduct code reviews within our Code Review Guidelines and ensure community contributions receive a swift response
Recognize impediments to our efficiency as a team (“technical debt”), propose and implement solutions
Participate in on-call rotations to assist troubleshooting product operations, security operations, and urgent engineering issues.

What you’ll bring

Experience building and maintaining backend applications with Ruby on Rails.
Experience delivering and maintaining software systems as part of a larger engineering team.
The ability to investigate technical problems, ask for context when needed, and work toward a practical resolution.
Experience working with relational databases such as PostgreSQL.
Clear communication and collaboration skills in a distributed team.
An interest in learning from others, sharing knowledge, and growing your technical skills.
Frontend development experience, including JavaScript or Vue.js, is helpful.
Experience with Elasticsearch, graph databases, vulnerability management, application security, or related transferable skills is helpful.

About the team

The Vulnerability Management team develops the core security workflows that help GitLab customers triage and manage vulnerabilities. The team owns areas including the security dashboard, vulnerability reports, and ingestion pipelines, and serves as an important interface for security-related features across GitLab. The team is focused on moving beyond lists of findings toward workflows that help customers prioritize and coordinate remediation. You’ll collaborate asynchronously with a small, distributed group and with related security teams, including the Agentic Security Flows team.

How GitLab Supports Full-Time Employees

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 underrepresented groups 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.

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 Recruitment Privacy Policy. 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 GitLab’s EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.