GitLab is an open core software company that develops the most comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps Platform, used by more than 100,000 organizations. Our mission 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 the rate of human progress. This mission is integral to our culture, influencing how we hire, build products, and lead our industry. We make this possible at GitLab by running our operations on our product and staying aligned with our values. Learn more about Life at GitLab.
Thanks to products like Duo Enterprise, and Duo Workflow, customers get the benefit of AI 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. All team members are encouraged and expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact across our global organisation.

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS ROLE

As an Engineering Manager for the Human Authentication & Identity team at GitLab, you’ll lead a talented group of engineers who are fundamentally transforming how user authentication and enterprise identity management works across our platform. This role addresses one of GitLab’s most complex engineering challenges: scaling authentication systems to serve millions of users across diverse deployment models while maintaining enterprise-grade security.
At GitLab, we see our team as our product. While you’ll need to be technically credible in enterprise identity management and authentication frameworks, your primary focus will be on nurturing your team’s health, hiring exceptional talent, and positioning them for success.
You’ll collaborate closely with Product Managers to shape the roadmap for modern authentication features that balance security, usability, and performance at enterprise scale.
Your leadership will be instrumental as we execute our multi-phase Auth Architecture Redesign, including building the Identity and Access Management (IAM) Service. This is a unique opportunity to lead critical infrastructure work that touches every enterprise customer while solving complex distributed systems challenges including global authentication at GitLab.com scale, multi-tenant organization boundaries, and other technical complexities.
This role is an extension of the Engineering Manager position.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Strategic Leadership & Architecture Execution

• Lead the design and implementation of GitLab’s next-generation Identity and Access Management (IAM) Service to support global scale and multi-tenancy
• Navigate the technical complexities of supporting multiple deployment models: GitLab.com (millions of users), self-managed installations, and Dedicated instances

Team Development & Technical Excellence

• Build and lead a team of talented engineers focused on human authentication and enterprise identity systems
• Hire and onboard senior ICs with deep enterprise identity experience (SAML, LDAP, OIDC)
• Mentor existing team members transitioning from the legacy authentication team structure
• Foster a culture of security-first development and zero-trust principles

Enterprise Identity & Scale Challenges

• Guide implementation of enterprise SSO integrations that must handle millions of authentication requests daily
• Oversee LDAP, SAML,, and OIDC protocol implementations that scale across diverse enterprise environments
• Solve complex performance challenges including authentication latency, session storage optimization, and global identity synchronization
• Design identity federation systems that work seamlessly across air-gapped, cloud, and hybrid deployments