Distinguished Data Systems Architect, Data Engineering

Responsibilities

• Drive architectural vision for scalable, distributed data systems across SaaS and self‑managed deployments, balancing OLTP/OLAP performance, scalability, and cost efficiency
• Define and implement enterprise data governance frameworks: lineage, quality controls, versioning, and compliance for regulated markets
• Architect monetizable data services and APIs with strong developer experience, observability, and security SLAs
• Create a unified architectural blueprint for GitLab’s data ecosystem and establish opinionated, cloud‑native design principles
• Design event‑driven architectures and end‑to‑end data lifecycles including ingestion, orchestration (Argo/Airflow/Kubernetes), transformation, metadata, and observability
• Partner with product and engineering leadership to embed AI patterns in data infrastructure and align senior leaders on platform standards
• Translate ambiguous business challenges into technical roadmaps and lead high‑impact architectural engagements
• Design and implement Model Driven Architecture (MDA) practices to separate logical models from platform implementations

Requirements

• Proven experience architecting large‑scale distributed data systems in complex or regulated environments
• Strong hands‑on background with Python, Docker, Airflow, Kubernetes, Trino, and Postgres
• Experience designing event‑driven pipelines and real‑time/asynchronous processing patterns
• Expertise with metadata, lineage, and observability standards (e.g., OpenLineage/OpenMetadata/OpenTelemetry or equivalents)
• Experience building data products and APIs with developer experience and monetization in mind
• Deep understanding of schema management, logical data modeling, and data lifecycle trade‑offs
• Familiarity with hybrid cloud and on‑premises deployments and automation for developer self‑service
• Experience with AI‑driven architectures, model orchestration, and emerging model standards

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior leadership building platform services and data product lifecycles
• Experience with connector marketplaces and integration ecosystems
• Strong opinions on cost‑aware, resilient architectures and performance trade‑offs
• Track record of mentoring engineering teams and promoting open source culture
• Experience designing and operationalizing MDA frameworks at enterprise scale

Benefits

• Flexible paid time off and annual leave
• Health and medical insurance coverage
• Education and professional development allowances
• Relocation support where applicable
• End‑of‑service benefits consistent with UAE practices

About the Company

GitLab is a global open‑core software company building an AI‑powered DevSecOps platform. We value collaboration, open source, and continuous learning. This role is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (hybrid), and will operate from within the UAE. We welcome applicants who will be working from UAE locations and who want to contribute to large‑scale, open‑platform data engineering and monetization efforts.