VP of Engineering, Architecture and Transformation

Overview of the VP of Engineering, Architecture and Transformation Role at GitLab

As the Vice President of Engineering, Architecture and Transformation at GitLab, you will establish and lead a new Engineering Leadership Team (ELT)-level engineering pillar. This critical role focuses on AI-powered productivity, next-generation architecture, and horizontal execution across the organization. You will address key cross-cutting challenges, including enhancing engineering productivity with AI tools like Claude Code, resolving major architectural issues such as decoupling the monolith, and building innovative primitives. Additionally, you will improve responsiveness by integrating a horizontal engineering team into high-priority verticals.

You will oversee two new charters: Architecture, Quality and Engineering Excellence, and Horizontal Engineering. These charters are responsible for defining and implementing engineering best practices, serving as "Customer Zero" for GitLab's AI-assisted development workflows, and providing agile, high-context capacity to accelerate delivery and enhance reliability towards ambitious targets like 99.99% availability. In your initial year, you will collaborate closely with the ELT and PMO to establish and execute a clear AI and architecture roadmap, set standards for quality and operational efficiency, and build a high-trust model for embedded horizontal teams that bolsters GitLab's global, continuous innovation cycle.

Examples of Key Projects

• The AI-Augmented Delivery Engine: A strategic initiative leveraging GitLab as "Customer Zero" by integrating advanced agents—utilizing tools like Claude Code or comparable open-source models—to automate routine tasks such as refactoring and Merge Request generation, thereby creating a blueprint for exponential productivity gains.
• The "Act 2" Alignment Charter: A strategic roadmap, co-developed with senior leadership, that pinpoints systemic technical bottlenecks and outlines the architectural evolution necessary to transform GitLab from a DevSecOps platform into an AI-autonomous delivery engine.

What You'll Do

• Lead the newly formed Engineering, Architecture and Transformation pillar as a key member of the ELT, establishing a clear vision for horizontal engineering excellence throughout GitLab.
• Drive the definition, adoption, and continuous enhancement of engineering best practices, partnering with Product, PMO, and vertical engineering leaders to elevate quality, reliability, and delivery consistency.
• Own the "Customer Zero" charter by championing internal usage of GitLab, removing impediments for teams, and directly contributing to code when necessary to validate workflows and accelerate critical initiatives.
• Define and guide the transition to next-generation, AI-optimized architecture, including the design and rollout of core primitives that enable vertical teams to decouple legacy systems and scale for ultra-scale customers.
• Build and lead the Architecture, Quality and Engineering Excellence team to deliver non-linear productivity gains through AI-assisted development, leveraging tools such as Claude Code and GitLab Duo.
• Establish and manage the Horizontal Engineering team as a flexible, embedded group that integrates with target teams, acquires deep context in their codebases, and delivers high-impact features and fixes during US business hours.
• Collaborate across the ELT and senior leadership to identify systemic horizontal challenges, prioritize cross-cutting initiatives, and ensure clear technical ownership and accountability for their execution.
• Champion an operationally frugal mindset by aligning AI and architectural decisions with cost of goods sold optimization, while upholding high availability, service reliability targets, and a robust culture of engineering excellence.

What You'll Bring

• Large-Scale Engineering Leadership: Proven experience leading large-scale engineering organizations, including horizontal or platform functions that span multiple product areas.
• World-Scale Service Operations: Extensive background in building, operating, and evolving highly available, world-scale services with a strong emphasis on reliability and quality.
• Architectural Expertise: Demonstrated technical depth across modern software architectures, including experience driving major architectural transitions such as decoupling monoliths and defining foundational primitives.
• Hands-On Technical Leadership: A hands-on engineering leadership approach, with the capability to directly engage in code and technical design when required, while guiding teams from strategic planning through execution.
• AI-Assisted Development: Expertise in AI-assisted development and tooling, with a proven track record of using AI to enhance developer productivity and inform product direction.
• Cost-Conscious Architecture: Experience in driving COGS-conscious engineering decisions, optimizing architectures and operations for both performance and cost efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Ability to influence effectively without direct authority in a matrixed environment, aligning engineering, product, and executive stakeholders around shared outcomes.
• Product-Minded Change Leadership: Strong product mindset and change leadership skills, including adeptness at managing the human aspects of significant technical shifts in similarly complex, high-scale environments.

About The Team

Our ELT-led engineering pillar at GitLab drives platform-wide impact by partnering with product and engineering leaders across all verticals. We focus on elevating engineering standards and supporting long-term architectural and AI initiatives. You will join a small, globally distributed, and highly contextual team that operates asynchronously. We also ensure responsive coverage during US business hours through embedded engineers who contribute fully to target teams. Our mission is to solve systemic, cross-cutting engineering challenges and accelerate delivery where capacity or geographic gaps exist, leveraging GitLab's global footprint as a strategic advantage.

How GitLab Will Support You

• Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Team Member Resource Groups
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and Development Fund
• Parental leave
• Home office support

GitLab welcomes candidates with varying levels of experience, and many successful applicants do not meet every single requirement. We encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply even if they don't meet every qualification. If this role excites you, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.

GitLab hires new team members globally for remote roles, though some may have specific location-based eligibility. Our Talent Acquisition team can provide more details during the recruiting process. Your privacy is important; please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy.

GitLab is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, committed to merit-based employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment. If you require accommodation due to a disability or special need, please inform us during the recruiting process.

Key skills/competency

• Engineering Leadership
• AI-Powered Development
• Software Architecture
• DevSecOps Platform
• Monolith Decoupling
• System Reliability
• Operational Efficiency
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Strategic Vision
• Cost Optimization