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About the Role
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.
An overview of this role
As the Corporate Development Director, you'll help influence how GitLab invests to win: what we build, what we buy, where we partner, and what we should not pursue. This role sits within the Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships team, reporting to the VP, Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships.
This role straddles strategy and M&A engagements. You'll lead research that frames GitLab's options: mapping the markets in and around our AI-powered DevSecOps platform, testing where we have a right to win, and turning that into clear recommendations for the executive team. When the answer is to acquire, you'll drive the deal process end to end, from outreach through close and integration.
About the team
The Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships team helps GitLab decide how to grow beyond what we build on our own. We own inorganic strategy: acquisitions, strategic partnerships with hyperscalers and AI labs, and the research that tells us which to pursue and which to pass on. We work across Product, Engineering, Finance, Legal and the executive group.
Key Technical Responsibilities
- check_circle Research the broader market GitLab competes in, beyond specific product categories: competitive dynamics, AI-native entrants, technology shifts and where value is moving.
- check_circle Build an investment thesis for each focus area, working with Product and Engineering leaders to define problems worth solving and necessary capabilities.
- check_circle Maintain market maps and a current read on GitLab's competitors, producing competitor analyses showing where we lead and where we are exposed.
- check_circle Identify adjacencies that dilute focus and make the case for a 'no' with the same rigor as a 'yes'.
- check_circle Run the build, buy, partner analysis comparing options side by side on speed, cost, risk, control, and strategic fit.
- check_circle Produce short strategy memos/decks and business cases that set out decisions, trade-offs, and what is given up with each path for executives and the Board.
- check_circle Bring an outside-in view of the market and inorganic options into annual and long-range planning.
- check_circle Frame partnering opportunities and hand them to the partnership owner with a clear thesis when partnering is the right answer.
- check_circle Validate target fit against GitLab's target profile, product roadmap, and build the acquisition rationale and business case.
- check_circle Drive the M&A process from intro call through various steps to closing and integration, developing valuation and providing negotiation assistance.
- check_circle Run pre-LOI validation and cross-functional diligence across Product, Engineering, Security, Finance, Legal, and People.
- check_circle Prepare NDAs, LOIs, and purchase agreements with GitLab Legal and outside counsel.
- check_circle Lead post-acquisition integration as the DRI, measured against the roadmap and business goals.
- check_circle Maintain relationships with founders, executives, investors, bankers, and advisors to bring early insight and pipeline.
Prerequisites & Qualifications
- check 8+ years across corporate development, corporate strategy, strategy consulting, or technology investing, including 5+ years leading acquisitions end to end in enterprise software.
- check Demonstrated ability in structured strategic thinking to form a point of view from incomplete information and test it against data.
- check Skilled in market sizing, competitive analysis, landscape mapping, and turning research into actionable recommendations.
- check Expertise in deal craft including valuation, financial modeling, deal structuring, negotiation, and integration planning.
- check Technical fluency with a working understanding of software development, DevSecOps, and the AI landscape.
- check Clear executive communication skills, capable of writing short, decision-ready updates for an async-first environment.
- check Ability to influence without authority, building trust across Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal.
- check Ownership with collaboration mindset, owning strategic views while partnering closely with analysts.
- check Familiarity with DevSecOps, security, AI, and open source ecosystems is preferred.
About GitLab Greenhouse Board
Verified hiring organization details.
GitLab Greenhouse Board operates as a remote-first technology and software hiring entity based in the United States, facilitating recruitment processes aligned with GitLab's broader organizational standards.