Lead People Systems Engineer

An overview of this role

As a Lead People Systems Engineer, you'll drive how GitLab's People systems evolve through an AI-first transformation mindset, putting AI to work across everything we build. You won't just support our people systems, you'll build them: owning the code, pipelines, and integrations that keep GitLab's People automation ecosystem running reliably at scale across Workato, Google Cloud, Claude, Workday, and the tools that power our global workforce. This is a strong fit if you think like a software engineer first, write clean and maintainable code, and thrive at the intersection of people systems, AI, innovation, and automation engineering.

In this role, you'll be the technical backbone of our People Technology team, designing, building, and maintaining the automations, agents, and integrations that connect Workday, Greenhouse, Slack, and internal tools. You'll be the go-to technical thought partner for the people group on complex engineering decisions, and your work will compound over time: fewer manual processes, stronger system reliability, and a People technology foundation that scales without friction.

What You’ll Do

• Own the design, development, and maintenance of people system automations and integrations across Workato, Google Cloud Platform, Claude, Workday, Greenhouse and GitLab, writing reliable, well-tested code that runs at scale.
• Build and maintain integrations between Workday, Greenhouse, Slack, and internal tools using Workday Web Services (WWS) and Slack's API and Bot SDK, diagnosing failures proactively and driving uptime and reliability improvements across the automation stack.
• Write, version, and maintain automation code in Ruby (or comparable scripting languages) stored in GitLab, with clear documentation, code reviews, and disciplined change management practices.
• Develop and manage Slack apps and bots that deliver intuitive, automated workflows, reducing friction for People teams and employees across a globally distributed workforce.
• Move past surface-level requests to diagnose root problems, challenge assumptions, and co-design automation solutions that are durable, scalable, and built to last.
• Serve as subject matter expert on Workato automation architecture, driving standardization, reusability, and scalability across the People technology integration layer.
• Maintain and improve CI/CD pipelines and deployment practices for People system automation, ensuring changes are tested, reviewed, and safely deployed using GitLab.
• Leverage AI tools, large language models (LLMs), and Model Context Protocol (MCP) frameworks, including Claude, to accelerate automation development and identify opportunities to eliminate manual work across the People Group.
• Provide technical guidance to teammates and stakeholders, proactively communicating context and decision-making, partnering closely with InfoSec, AI Engineering, and IT, and raising the bar for how automations, agents, and integrations are built, documented, and maintained.
• Exercise independent judgment on methods and evaluation criteria to obtain quality results, leading others by sharing solutions and problem-solving approaches.

What You’ll Bring

• Hands-on experience writing and maintaining code in Ruby or a comparable scripting language (Python, PHP, etc.), you're comfortable in a codebase, write code others can read and maintain, and are willing to learn Ruby if you haven't already.
• Deep expertise in Workato or a comparable enterprise automation/integration platform, with a track record of building reliable, scalable automation workflows in production environments.
• Strong experience integrating with Workday using Workday Web Services (WWS), with the instinct to build integrations that are durable, observable, and handle edge cases well.
• Experience building Slack apps and automations using Slack's API and Bot SDK, with an eye for delivering workflows that actually get used.
• Proficiency with Git and GitLab for version control, code review, and CI/CD workflows, you treat automation code like production software, not scripts on someone's laptop.
• Familiarity with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or AWS; experience with Docker and Kubernetes (GKE is a bonus) for running and maintaining automation services.
• Experience connecting HR systems including Workday, Greenhouse, and internal tools, with strong instincts for where integration points break and how to keep them reliable.
• Comfort working with AI tools and MCP frameworks to accelerate development, automate repetitive work, and push the boundaries of what people technology can do.
• Strong communication skills, you can translate technical architecture into clear decisions and stakeholder updates, and you know when to surface a risk versus just fix it.
• An engineering mindset applied to people systems: you treat reliability, observability, and maintainability as first-class concerns, not afterthoughts.
• People system fluency, you understand how HR data flows, why it matters, and how to build automations that handle it with care and accuracy.
• Intellectual curiosity and a bias for action, you don't wait to be told what's brittle; you find it, frame the fix, and drive it forward.

About the team

The People Technology team is building the systems foundation that allows GitLab to scale as a global, all-remote company. We don't just keep the lights on, we push the bar on what people technology can do, constantly improving reliability, usability, and intelligence across the platforms that power our People organization. We work across core systems, integrations, automation, and compliance, partnering closely with stakeholders across time zones to move fast, build with purpose, and create an experience where technology enables people to do their best work.