Staff Product Security Architect

An overview of this role

We are seeking a Staff Product Security Architect to join our Security Platforms & Architecture Team and serve as our strategic security partner for GitLab’s Core DevOps organization. In this role, you’ll work directly with technical leadership across our Plan, Create, Verify, and Package stages to anticipate security challenges, drive risk reduction, and enable secure-by-default development of our CI/CD platform. 

You'll be the primary security architect for Core DevOps, developing deep expertise in pipeline security, source code management, and DevOps toolchain risks. You'll maintain tight alignment with Core DevOps tech leads to understand their roadmap, identify emerging security needs early, and coordinate comprehensive security coverage across our Application Security team. This is a high-visibility role with significant influence across one of GitLab's most critical product areas.

What you’ll do  

• Serve as the dedicated security architect and strategic partner for Core DevOps functional leadership, developing deep understanding of their priorities, challenges, and roadmap
• Lead security architecture and design work for strategic Core DevOps initiatives, providing clear direction and proactive guidance to cross-functional teams
• Identify, assess, and drive reduction of systemic security risks in the Product Security Risk Register related to CI/CD pipelines, source code management, and DevOps workflows
• Anticipate security challenges in upcoming Core DevOps initiatives and propose architectural solutions before they reach critical implementation phases
• Coordinate with Application Security engineers to ensure comprehensive security review coverage, providing context and priority guidance for Core DevOps work
• Conduct security architecture reviews for large strategic projects across Plan, Create, Verify, and Package stages
• Develop and communicate security standards and patterns specific to CI/CD security, enabling teams to make sound security decisions independently
• Collaborate with Security Research team members conducting proactive security exploration in the Core DevOps domain
• Cultivate strong relationships with Core DevOps technical leadership to maintain visibility into major initiatives and drive security outcomes

What you’ll bring 

• Deep expertise in CI/CD pipeline security, including runner isolation, secrets management, artifact security, and supply chain attack prevention
• Strong understanding of source code management security, including merge request workflows, code review security, branch protection, and access control patterns
• Proven experience securing DevOps toolchains and identifying systemic risks in continuous integration and delivery systems
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with engineering leadership and influence technical direction through expertise and collaboration
• Track record of proactive security architecture work - identifying risks before they become incidents and designing preventive solutions
• Strong background in application security with expertise in authentication/authorization, injection attacks, privilege escalation, and multi-tenant isolation
• Experience translating complex security concepts into clear, actionable recommendations for technical audiences
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining technically hands-on when needed
• Nice to have: Experience with container registry and package management security; cryptographic systems and key management (SLSA framework); GraphQL security; AI-augmented development workflows; government security requirements (FedRAMP, NIST 800-171); security standards and frameworks (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI-DSS); and quantifying risk with security metrics or Key Risk Indicators

About the team

Security Architects are a part of our Security Platforms and Architecture team, who address complex security challenges facing GitLab and its customers to enable GitLab to be the most secure software factory platform on the market. Composed of Security Architecture, Security Research, and Application Security, we focus on systemic product security risks and work cross-functionally to mitigate them while maintaining Engineering’s development velocity.

In FY27, we're implementing a new organizational model where each architect is dedicated to a specific functional area of GitLab's product, enabling deeper context, stronger relationships, and more proactive security guidance. As the Core DevOps architect, you'll be part of a team that includes architects focused on AI and the Sec Section, creating opportunities for collaboration on cross-cutting security challenges while maintaining specialized expertise in your domain.