Our Hiring Approach

We have intentionally created our hiring process to align with our organizational culture at GitLab Foundation. As an all-remote organization, we are committed to hiring diverse talent globally. Below are some ways we are working to make a transparent, clear, and fair hiring process:

• Making our hiring process publicly available so candidates know what to expect
• Centering the candidate by creating clear and inclusive job descriptions and providing prompt communication throughout every stage of the process
• Listing salary bands on every job posting
• Ensuring consistency by following a standardized hiring process with clear selection criteria and set questions for all candidates
• Including diverse perspectives and voices by having multiple team members and/or consultants participate in the interview process
• Iterating our process as we go (and updating the handbook) to learn from our experiences
• We are not location agnostic. We hire within our operating markets (US, Colombia, and Kenya), but factors such as time zone, location, and proximity to colleagues and partners may be considered.

GitLab Foundation is an equal opportunity employer committed to sustaining a diverse team and a welcoming, respectful, and encouraging work environment.

The process laid out below generally takes approximately eight weeks from the date the role is posted publicly until an offer is made. Applications will be reviewed immediately. Due to the large number of applications we receive, we regret that we cannot personally respond to every candidate.

Roles

• Hiring Manager: the individual hiring the new team member who will be the decision-maker in the hiring process. In most situations, this person will supervise the new team member being hired
• Hiring Team: a group of people involved in the interview process (team members, consultants, etc.) that assist in assessing candidates
• Director of Operations: The Director of Operations will assist with the hiring process, be the main point of contact for the hiring manager, hiring team, and candidates, and be the DRI for hiring compensation decisions and discussions. Managers should not negotiate compensation with candidates on behalf of the organization.

Process

Identify and Draft the Job Description

1. Identify a hiring need
2. Speak with your manager and Director of Operations
3. Draft job description based on other GitLab Foundation job descriptions and templates
   1. All job descriptions will list the national hiring band for the role (and note that city-specific bands will be shared with the top three to five candidates).
4. Share a draft of the job description with the Director of Operations and your manager

Recruitment

1. The Director of Operations will finalize the job description, share it with team members, and post the job on the GitLab Foundation website, handbook, LinkedIn, 80,000 hours (if accepted), and Idealist.
   1. Hiring manager and other team members should share job descriptions with their networks as well
2. Director of Operations will sort and and save qualified candidates into the GitLab Foundation shared drive
3. Our team will reach out if they need more information from you. In the meantime, read about what you can expect during the interview process below.If your experience is a good fit for the role, we will be in touch soon. Please note that it's not possible for us to respond to every candidate, but we aim to review every application that follows the application instructions provided.

Preparing for Interviews

While candidates are being sourced, the hiring manager should be preparing materials for the interview.

1. Hiring Manager speaks to Director of Operations about which team members or other should be on the hiring team and inform those individuals
2. Hiring Manager creates a scorecard of the top competencies and skills to be used by the hiring team during the interview
3. Hiring Manager creates a list of initial interview questions
4. Hiring Manager creates a hypothetical prompt for the presentation portion of the interview
5. Hiring manager schedules and hosts a call with the Hiring Team and Director of operations to discuss priorities, responsibilities, expectations and the process

Screening and Review

1. Hiring manager will review the candidates screened by the Director of Operations
   1. If you are interested in a candidate, move them into “Yes” (no more than ten candidates)
   2. If you are not interested in a candidate, move them into “No”
2. The Director of Operations will schedule initial screening calls (25 minutes) with the top ten candidates
3. The Hiring Manager will have initial screening calls (25 minutes) with the top ten candidates and document notes on each candidate
4. The Hiring Manager should email the Director of Operations a list of the top three candidates to bring to the Hiring Team
   1. At this time, the Director of Operations will let each candidate know the hiring band for their location

Schedule and Confirm Interviews

1. Hiring Manager should finalize materials needed for the interview (scorecard for each member of the Hiring Team, interview questions, resumes and prompt) and share with Hiring Team in advance
2. Director of Operations will schedule interviews for the Hiring Team and a debrief call with the Hiring Team
3. The Director of Operations will inform candidates that did not make it to the next stage of the process and offer the opportunity to have a feedback call.

Manager Interview

1. Director of Operations will schedule a 1:1 call with the top candidates and the Hiring Manager.

Team Interview

1. Interview candidates with hiring team: each interview will be 50 minutes long and contain three parts:
   1. Presentation with Q&A (10-20 minutes)
   2. General interview using questions from the Hiring Team (10-20 minutes)
   3. Candidate questions (10 minutes)
2. All team members involved in the hiring process will need to complete a scoring rubric and submit it to the hiring manager two days after all the interviews are completed.
3. Hiring manager will review all rubrics and host a call with the hiring team to debrief the candidate interviews
4. Hiring Manager will select their top two candidates for the role

CEO Interview

The top candidate will have a 25-minute interview with the President & CEO before an offer is made (if the CEO is not involved in the hiring process)

References

1. The Director of Operations will ask the top candidates for three references
   1. At least one reference must be a previous or current manager
2. The Hiring Manager will speak with the references of top candidates

Offer

1. Hiring Manager informs manager and Director Operations of the candidate they would like to have join the team
2. Director of Operations will an draft offer letter and discuss the offer with the Hiring Manager in advance
3. Offer will be made to the top candidate along with a Total Rewards Statement
4. Once an offer letter is accepted and signed, the Director of Operations will notify team members
5. The Director of Operations will inform other candidates that they were not selected for the role and offer the opportunity to have a feedback call if not selected.

Start Onboarding

Onboarding Guide

1. Director of Operations will work directly with the new team member to get them enrolled in the PEO platform and ensure they have a laptop on their first day
2. Hiring Manager will create an onboarding plan in Notion for the new hire and schedule time to meet with them on their first day

Fellowship Opportunities

The GitLab Foundation aims to empower individuals interested in philanthropy to learn about the sector with a hands-on, time-boxed experience while helping to advance our mission. Our fellowships are competitive, and applicants are required to demonstrate their qualifications, commitment, and alignment with the goals of the fellowship opportunity. We aim to provide valuable experiences that allow individuals to deepen their expertise, contribute to the field, and grow both personally and professionally. Fellowships are part-time opportunities to allow a variety of candidates to apply and we encourage students, those reentering the workforce and other non-traditional candidates to apply.

Specifically, the Foundation looks to provide Fellows:

1. Experiential learning and skills enhancement: Work with Foundation team members, grantees, and others to expand the Fellow’s knowledge of philanthropy and build leadership and interpersonal skills.
2. Personal and professional development: Receive individual coaching and participate in quarterly professional development opportunities while working toward furthering the organization’s goals.
3. Networking and collaboration: Network among and collaborate with stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and expertise, and foster new ideas and partnerships.
4. Financial Support: Fellows will be paid for the duration of their fellowship and receive a 401k contribution.

Having fellows at the GitLab Foundation allows our organization to:

1. Build capacity to meet specific needs, changing priorities, or new areas of work.
2. Develop talent within the global philanthropy field and create a pipeline to recruit from.
3. Test ideas or approaches before committing to long-term investments, allowing the GitLab Foundation to assess their feasibility and impact.

Fellowship FAQs

1. How long do fellowships at the Foundation last?
   • Fellowships can vary in duration, ranging from a few weeks to one year, depending on the needs of the Foundation.
2. Are fellowship positions paid?
   • Fellowships at the Foundation are paid and based on the market rate of similar positions (benefits are not provided). Fellows will also receive a 401k contribution while working with the Foundation. Fellows may work up to 30 hours per week and pay will be dependent on the specific focus area of the role.
3. How are fellowships structured at the Foundation?
   • Fellows will be managed by a GitLab Foundation team member (receive assignments, tasks, etc.) within a specific functional area (e.g., Grantmaking, Impact Measurement & Analytics, Operations). Fellows will act as a team member and attend team meetings, participate in events, and more.
4. Will Fellows be able to interact with others beyond the Foundation team?
   • Fellows will be welcomed and will be offered a number of opportunities for networking and building connections with experts, mentors, and peers in the field.
5. Will there be travel involved?
   • This depends on the fellowship, but we expect Fellows to travel to events or team meetings as needed throughout the fellowship experience. Costs for travel to these events will be covered by the GitLab Foundation.
6. Is there a potential to be hired as a full-time team member at the end of the fellowship?
   • Yes, this is sometimes possible. A decision to hire a full-time team member will be based on a number of factors including the organization’s needs, budget and planned work.
7. Are fellows required to be U.S.-based?
   • For now. At this time the Foundation’s operating structures only allow for hiring U.S.-based team members. We hope to be able to expand this opportunity globally as we progress.

Learn more about who the GitLab Foundation is and how we show up!