Systems Performance Engineers help organizations make software and infrastructure faster, more reliable, and more efficient. They measure performance, identify bottlenecks, and partner with engineering teams to improve systems across applications, operating systems, networks, and cloud environments. Explore vetted Systems Performance Engineer opportunities on Ladders, including roles with salaries of $100,000 or more.
These engineers investigate how systems behave under real-world and peak workloads. Their work may include designing benchmarks, analyzing metrics and traces, profiling applications, conducting load and stress tests, and recommending improvements. Depending on the organization, they may focus on distributed services, databases, compute platforms, embedded systems, or large-scale infrastructure.
Employers often seek experience with performance analysis, benchmarking, observability, and troubleshooting complex systems. Useful technical skills may include programming in languages such as C++, Java, Go, or Python; knowledge of Linux and operating systems; distributed systems and networking fundamentals; and familiarity with cloud platforms and monitoring tools. Strong analytical thinking and the ability to communicate findings across teams are also valuable.
Systems Performance Engineers work in industries where speed, scale, and uptime matter, including technology, cloud computing, finance, telecommunications, and enterprise software. Career paths may lead to senior or staff engineering positions, performance architecture, site reliability engineering, infrastructure leadership, or specialized systems research. Responsibilities and qualifications vary by employer and role.
Search Ladders for Systems Performance Engineer jobs and discover vetted professional opportunities with salaries of $100,000 or more. Compare roles by employer, location, and experience level to find openings aligned with your skills and career goals.
Software Engineer, Site Reliability
$142K - $196K *
Unlock potential by enhancing system reliability and observability for resilient production environments. Collaborate across teams to develop automation and tooling that improves incident response, op...
3 weeks ago
Systems Engineer - Research Infrastructure & Lab Platforms - Government Customer
$120K - $140K *
Unlock potential by architecting and enhancing next-gen research platforms, driving automation and reliability to provide researchers with cutting-edge tools. Collaborate in a dynamic environment brid...
Reposted yesterday
Senior Technical Product Manager
$153K - $213K *
Champion the development of a key platform, driving strategy, success metrics, and technical depth while collaborating across teams to deliver impactful solutions that meet customer needs and enhance...
1 week ago
$110K - $120K *
Lead the charge in quality engineering for critical assessment platforms, driving testing excellence and automation maturity. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure reliability and scalabil...
1 week ago
Senior Forward Deployed Engineer
$120K - $145K *
Shape the future of customer relationships by driving value and retention for large organizations, collaborating closely with sales and product teams to ensure success and growth through data-driven i...
3 weeks ago
$80K - $110K *
Transform critical automation platforms by ensuring their reliability, scalability, and performance. Collaborate with development teams to enhance system stability and drive operational excellence acr...
Reposted yesterday
Associate Director, Performance Engineering
$135K - $145K *
Elevate your career by overseeing technical operations and project management for battery energy storage systems. Drive cross-functional initiatives, mentor teams, and lead strategic improvements to o...
3 weeks ago
Principal Site Reliability Engineer
$165K - $185K *
Optimize the reliability and performance of production systems by leading incident management, establishing SLOs, and driving infrastructure automation. Collaborate across teams while mentoring engine...
Reposted 1 month ago
Sr. Observability Systems Engineer
$178K - $200K *
Join us to shape the future of observability in infrastructure. Lead technical direction, mentor engineers, and enhance our metrics and logging platforms while driving automation and AI integration ac...
4 days ago
Renewable Senior Performance Engineer
$118K - $180K *
Join a dynamic team to analyze solar PV energy yield assessments for utility-scale projects. Lead performance modeling and mentor engineers while expanding expertise across various renewable energy te...
1 week ago
$69K - $107K *
Champion client success by leveraging technical expertise to enhance platform value, optimize workflows, and drive measurable outcomes. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative so...
2 weeks ago
Senior Observability Engineer (New Relic Consolidation)
$130K - $155K *
Optimize the multi-tenant New Relic consolidation layer, aggregating telemetry across AI agent estates. Collaborate with engineering teams to enhance observability practices and ensure effective monit...
6 days ago
Site Reliability Engineer/ GitHub Admin
$120K - $140K *
Shape the future of software delivery by ensuring reliability, security, and automation in our GitHub environment. Collaborate with engineering teams to enhance developer experience while enforcing co...
4 weeks ago
Senior Technical Program Manager
$130K - $150K *
Lead the charge in driving program delivery and portfolio management for a dynamic Security team, ensuring effective execution of enterprise initiatives while fostering cross-functional collaboration...
1 week ago
Senior Software Engineer, Observability
$120K - $145K *
Champion the development of innovative observability solutions, leveraging your expertise in Go and network protocols to enhance network automation. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver...
2 weeks ago
$80K - $155K *
Join a team that's redefining energy solutions by designing innovative fluid and power systems. As a Process Engineer, you'll drive the development and optimization of cutting-edge technologies in a f...
3 days ago
Senior Software Engineer, Linux Kernel
$120K - $195K *
Drive innovation by developing and maintaining Linux kernel features, collaborating with hardware teams, and contributing to the upstream community. Own projects from definition to deployment while me...
2 weeks ago
Senior Principal Engineer, Solutions Architecture
$170K - $221K *
Partner with us to deliver integrated IT solutions that align with customer goals. Leverage your technical expertise to navigate complex requirements and enhance customer satisfaction through innovati...
Reposted yesterday
Principal Software Engineer, Collaborative Web Platform
$175K - $219K *
Elevate engineering excellence by guiding technical strategy and best practices across teams. Lead architectural vision, ensure reliability and security, and foster collaboration to build a cutting-ed...
Reposted 1 week ago
Senior Product Security Engineer
$135K - $160K *
Empower progress in product security by embedding advanced safeguards within every development phase. Collaborate with engineering teams to build AI-enhanced security tooling and enhance proactive ris...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Sr Site Reliability Engineer, Platform
$148K - $261K *
Transform the infrastructure landscape by architecting and scaling a Kubernetes-based platform that enables rapid deployment of innovative robotics solutions while mentoring engineers across teams to...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Senior/Staff Software Engineer (Platform and Execution Model)
$180K - $240K *
Transform the future of distributed systems by designing and building robust platform components. Collaborate with teams to ensure reliability and scalability in mission-critical environments, driving...
1 week ago
$115K - $175K *
Join a strategic team as you oversee complex web projects, drive digital initiatives, and promote best practices, all while collaborating across functions. Make a real-world impact while shaping the f...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$80K - $95K *
Optimize quality assurance processes by validating data pipelines and dashboards. Collaborate in an Agile environment to ensure functionality, accuracy, and compliance, playing a key role in deliverin...
2 weeks ago
$135K - $145K *
Join a dynamic team to build and scale high-performance GPU infrastructure for AI workloads. Collaborate across teams, troubleshoot complex systems, and enhance automation in a fast-paced environment...
2 weeks ago
What is a Systems Performance Engineer?
A Systems Performance Engineer measures and improves the speed, capacity, and efficiency of software and infrastructure. The role typically involves benchmarking, profiling, workload analysis, and working with engineering teams to resolve performance bottlenecks.
What skills are important for Systems Performance Engineer jobs?
Commonly valued skills include performance testing and profiling, programming, Linux and operating systems knowledge, distributed systems, networking, cloud platforms, and observability tools. Requirements differ by employer and specialization.
Where do Systems Performance Engineers work?
They work across sectors that depend on responsive, reliable technology, including software, cloud services, finance, telecommunications, and enterprise technology.
How can I find Systems Performance Engineer jobs paying $100,000 or more?
Browse Systems Performance Engineer openings on Ladders, which features vetted professional jobs paying $100,000 or more. Review each listing for its compensation details, location, and qualifications.