An overview of this role

The Agent Execution group is focused on running agents securely at scale on GitLab's Duo Agent platform. Core parts of the development are the integration between agents and our runtime environment as well as how to observe and steer agents while they run. In this role, you will lead a team of 7 experienced engineers to build innovative AI solutions tailored to our customers' needs. You give engineers clarity, remove friction, and coaching needed to build fast and build right. We expect you to be a strong engineer who never stopped caring about the craft. Technical depth isn't optional - it's what makes good engineering decisions possible. You lead because it's where you have the most impact, but you still love building.

Some examples of our projects:

• Building configurable network access and sandboxing for agents
• Creating the right execution environments for coding agents

What you'll do

• Manage a distributed team of engineers across frontend, backend, and AI engineering to deliver core capabilities for the Duo Agent platform on planned timelines and with high engineering quality.
• Work with product and UX counterparts to turn customer needs into clear priorities and shipped AI features that improve user adoption and satisfaction.
• Participate in technical design and implementation decisions for systems that support secure, scalable agent execution, improving reliability, safety, and performance.
• Assist with day-to-day development by staying close to the code, architecture, and engineering tradeoffs facing the team to improve delivery quality and speed.
• Monitor delivery progress, identify risks early, and remove blockers so the team maintains momentum and meets key milestones.
• Coach engineers through feedback, growth conversations, and hands-on guidance that improves technical quality, execution, and career development.
• Promote a team culture grounded in inclusion, curiosity, accountability, and continuous delivery that fosters strong teamwork, healthy engagement, and sustainable execution.
• Work with teams across GitLab to strengthen the Duo Agent platform as a foundation for broader AI capabilities and successful cross-team launches.

What you'll bring

• Experience managing engineering teams in a way that balances delivery, technical quality, and team growth.
• Strong software engineering depth and the ability to contribute to architectural and implementation discussions with credibility.
• Hands-on understanding of agentic AI in software development and interest in how AI is changing engineering workflows.
• Ability to work through ambiguity and help teams make progress in fast-paced environments with evolving requirements.
• Clear communication and stakeholder management skills across engineering, product, and design partners.
• Dedication to coaching and developing engineers in an inclusive team environment.
• Familiarity with building and deploying AI products, observability systems, or reliability-focused systems and the ability to apply that knowledge in this role.
• Experience in Python, Ruby, Go, or TypeScript, or transferable technical experience in similar languages and systems.

About the team

The Agent Execution team is part of the Agent Foundations group, and we are responsible for the platform capabilities that let GitLab Duo agents run securely, be observed effectively, and operate in the right execution environments. We work asynchronously across three continents and partner closely with other AI and platform teams across GitLab. Our work supports foundational challenges such as safe runtime integration, agent control, and infrastructure that can support future AI features across GitLab.