Public Sector Solutions Architect

Overview of the Public Sector Solutions Architect Role at GitLab

As a Public Sector Solutions Architect at GitLab, you will act as a trusted advisor to U.S. government customers. Your primary responsibility will be to demonstrate how GitLab's Enterprise Edition and comprehensive DevSecOps platform can effectively address critical business and mission outcomes. You will lead the technical evaluation and validation stages of the sales cycle, guiding customers through proofs of concept and value, and clearly articulating the measurable benefits of GitLab’s modern software development, operations, and cloud capabilities. This role involves close collaboration with sales and cross-functional GitLab teams, providing crucial technical guidance from initial conversations through successful deployment. You will also serve as a customer advocate, channeling valuable feedback back to Product, Sales, and Marketing teams. With an active TS/SCI with poly clearance and extensive familiarity with government environments, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing strategies to build mindshare, expand GitLab usage, and forge long-term, trusted relationships across public sector accounts.

What You'll Do

• Engage with public sector customers, both onsite and remotely, delivering technical expertise and guidance throughout the pre-sales process. This includes tailored demos, technical presentations, and hands-on workshops.
• Collaborate strategically with the sales team to develop and execute account plans aimed at driving GitLab adoption within government environments.
• Own the technical evaluation process, encompassing the design and delivery of Proof of Concept (POC) and Proof of Value (POV), providing support for tenders and audits, and contributing technical input to proposals.
• Lead the creation of Customer Success Plans, meticulously capturing technical success criteria and ensuring seamless handoff details from the pre-sales phase to facilitate smooth deployment and adoption.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with both technical and business stakeholders, transforming them into strong advocates for GitLab within their respective organizations.
• Act as an internal customer advocate, relaying crucial feedback and insights to GitLab's Product, Sales, Marketing, and other relevant teams to influence product roadmap and messaging.
• Continuously maintain and expand your expertise in GitLab and related technologies, including modern software development, operations, and cloud practices, and develop reusable examples and assets for customers and partners.
• Conduct Value Stream Assessments, with support from senior Solutions Architects, to identify opportunities for customers to significantly improve their software delivery processes using GitLab.

What You'll Bring

• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph, along with the ability to meet all applicable government eligibility requirements as a United States Person.
• Residency in the Washington, D.C. area, with the flexibility to travel for onsite engagements with public sector customers as business and customer needs dictate.
• A strong background in technical pre-sales, consulting, or information technology roles, ideally with U.S. public sector or federal customers, demonstrating proven experience in guiding customers through evaluations and solution design.
• Hands-on experience utilizing GitLab and a solid understanding of modern software development and operations practices, such as CI/CD, DevSecOps, and automation.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms and associated technologies within regulated or security-conscious environments.
• A demonstrated ability to connect complex technical solutions directly to measurable business or mission outcomes, and to effectively advise senior stakeholders on potential tradeoffs and options.
• Strong, confident communication and exceptional relationship-building skills, including leading customer meetings, conducting compelling demos, and facilitating value-focused conversations in close partnership with sales and cross-functional teams.
• An open mind to continuous learning, actively seeking feedback, and a drive to build new skills, including familiarity with GitLab's Solutions Architect handbook and related resources.

About The Team

The Public Sector Solutions Architect role is an integral part of GitLab's Solutions Architect team. This team comprises trusted technical advisors dedicated to helping government customers understand, evaluate, and successfully adopt the GitLab DevSecOps platform. You will collaborate closely with account teams, Customer Success, and Product, specifically supporting public sector organizations with a focus on agencies requiring TS/SCI with polygraph. The team operates in a distributed, asynchronous manner across various time zones, leveraging GitLab and our handbook-first practices for efficient knowledge sharing, reusable examples, and best practices. You will contribute to addressing unique public sector challenges such as security, compliance, and mission-critical software delivery, while also providing crucial customer insights that will help shape GitLab's product direction.

Key Skills/Competency

• DevSecOps
• Solutions Architecture
• Pre-Sales Engineering
• U.S. Government/Public Sector
• TS/SCI Polygraph Clearance
• CI/CD
• Cloud Computing
• Technical Consulting
• Customer Advocacy
• Value Stream Assessment