Principal Executive Recruiter

Department: Talent Acquisition

GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps. GitLab enables organizations to increase developer productivity, improve operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risk, and accelerate digital transformation. More than 50 million registered users and more than 50% of the Fortune 100* trust GitLab to ship better, more secure software faster.

The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier, with all team members expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact. GitLab is where careers accelerate, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued. Our high-performance culture is driven by our values and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems. Co-create the future with us as we build technology that transforms how the world develops software.

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An overview of this role

As a Principal Executive Recruiter at GitLab, you’ll lead VP-level and other senior leadership searches across Sales, People, Legal, Finance, and other corporate teams. You’ll partner directly with senior executives to identify, engage, assess, and hire leaders, bringing market intelligence and a research-driven approach to complex, often confidential searches. Alongside owning searches end to end, you’ll help shape the strategies, frameworks, and practices that strengthen executive recruiting at GitLab, balancing search rigor with the agility of a fast-moving technology organization.

What you’ll do

• Lead VP-level and other senior leadership searches end to end, from search strategy and market mapping through assessment, selection, and closing.
• Advise C-suite executives and senior business leaders on hiring decisions, challenge assumptions, and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics.
• Develop talent strategies using market mapping, competitive intelligence, creative sourcing, and recruiting data to guide each search.
• Build relationships with passive executive talent, understand their motivations, and connect opportunities to GitLab’s mission and business priorities.
• Partner with hiring leaders to define success profiles, assess executive capabilities and business impact, and guide evidence-based hiring decisions.
• Own executive candidate relationships and deliver a high-touch experience through compensation discussions, competing opportunities, and negotiations.
• Manage multiple confidential, business-critical searches with discretion, balancing urgency, quality, stakeholder alignment, and candidate experience.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition leadership and executive recruiting peers to improve search frameworks, assessment practices, reporting, and tools.

What you’ll bring

• Experience independently leading VP-level and senior executive searches through successful hires in an executive search firm, an in-house executive recruiting function, or both.
• Executive recruiting experience across functions such as Sales, People, Legal, Finance, or other corporate teams, with the business acumen and curiosity to learn new domains.
• The ability to build trusted relationships with C-suite executives, influence senior stakeholders, and provide candid, evidence-based guidance on hiring decisions.
• Skills in talent research, market mapping, creative sourcing, leadership assessment, and engaging and closing passive executive talent.
• Business judgment, communication, and negotiation skills to navigate sensitive searches, complex compensation discussions, and competing executive priorities.
• Experience developing or improving executive search methodologies, frameworks, and processes while maintaining speed and flexibility.
• A hands-on approach to managing multiple high-priority searches independently and working through ambiguity.
• Experience in high-growth technology or enterprise software organizations, global executive searches, and distributed organizations is helpful.

About the team

You’ll join a globally distributed, remote-first Talent Acquisition team where clear communication and reliable follow-through matter. Guided by GitLab’s operating principles, including Speed with Quality, Ownership Mindset, and Customer Outcomes, we take ownership, move with urgency and rigor, and focus on hiring outcomes that matter to our internal customers. We share learnings and create reusable resources to continually improve the quality and consistency of hiring across Business teams.

The base salary range for this role’s listed level is currently for residents of the United States only. This range is intended to reflect the role's base salary rate in locations throughout the US. Grade level and salary ranges are determined through interviews and a review of education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities of the applicant, equity with other team members, alignment with market data, and geographic location. The base salary range does not include any bonuses, equity, or benefits. See more information on our benefits and equity. Sales roles are also eligible for incentive pay targeted at up to 100% of the offered base salary.

United States Salary Range

$184,800—$314,400 USD

How GitLab Supports Full-Time Employees

• Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Team Member Resource Groups
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and Development Fund
• Parental Leave

Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.

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Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.

Privacy Policy: Please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy. Your privacy is important to us.

GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab’s policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information (including family medical history), discharge status from the military, protected veteran status (which includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans), or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also GitLab’s EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.