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.
$100K - $120K *
Develop user-facing features and improve systems by leveraging software architecture, APIs, and cloud technologies. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable, maintainable solutions...
2 weeks ago
$125K - $150K *
Join a team that's pioneering solutions in High-Performance Computing, enhancing customer workflows, optimizing HPC software, and implementing best practices to achieve outstanding customer satisfacti...
3 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer, Behavior Planning
$130K - $155K *
Drive the innovation of behavior planning systems for autonomous vehicles, owning key design and implementation tasks while collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure peak performance in dyna...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$66K - $128K *
Unlock your potential as you design and implement software for spacecraft simulators, collaborating with engineers to create cutting-edge solutions in the space industry. This entry-level role offers...
2 weeks ago
$135K - $160K *
Transform AI agent systems by owning technical decisions and delivery from design to production. Collaborate with stakeholders, develop workflows, and ensure reliability while mentoring engineers and...
2 weeks ago
Monitoring & Observability SME
$150K - $185K *
Drive the deployment of advanced observability solutions, ensuring optimal performance monitoring and compliance for federal missions. Mentor teams and analyze architectures to enhance system reliabil...
1 week ago
Staff Solutions Engineer, MSSP Ecosystem Partner
$224K - $308K *
Unlock potential by leading and scaling our MSSP partner business across North America, combining technical leadership with hands-on architecture engagements to drive strategic growth and adoption of...
1 week ago
Strategic Technical Project Manager
$150K - $160K *
Empower large-scale customer projects by leading multi-workstream implementations. As a key facilitator, you will align stakeholders, manage risks, and ensure solutions meet success criteria within ag...
Reposted 4 weeks ago
Senior Architect, Model Performance and Post-Training
$224K - $431K *
Engineer cutting-edge performance models for coding tasks, enhancing large language models through empirical analysis and optimization. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate insights in...
1 week ago
Staff Attack Engineer, External
$238K - $280K *
Lead the charge in developing autonomous attack workflows for external surfaces, leveraging your expertise to enhance reconnaissance capabilities and mentor engineers while driving strategic technical...
Yesterday
Senior Design Quality Engineer
$142K - $161K *
Join us to ensure the highest quality standards for our FDA-cleared AI clinical platform. Collaborate across teams to drive software design quality, manage regulatory compliance, and enhance post-mark...
2 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Shape the future of enterprise Linux environments by enhancing automation, managing infrastructure, and developing CI/CD pipelines. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure secure, reliable...
6 days ago
Senior Full Stack Software Engineer
$150K - $300K *
Transform the future of cloud-native applications by designing and developing scalable web solutions. Leverage your expertise in full stack development and cloud technologies to drive innovation and o...
Today
$120K - $216K *
Champion the development of high-performance REST APIs, leading architectural decisions and mentoring engineers. Collaborate across teams to enhance system performance and establish best practices in...
1 week ago
Staff Engineer, Security Operations
$225K - $281K *
Lead detection and response strategy, building systems and automations to enhance security. Collaborate with teams to set standards, mentor engineers, and manage complex incidents, ensuring effective...
Today
Software Engineer, SRE and Production Engineering - DGX Cloud
$184K - $287K *
Drive the future of AI infrastructure by building automation and tools for large-scale GPU systems. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance production reliability and ensure seamless operat...
1 week ago
$110K - $130K *
Shape the future of passenger rail by leading mechanical systems integration and validation. Collaborate with suppliers and clients to ensure compliance and deliver manufacturable designs for refurbis...
2 weeks ago
$139K - $201K *
Accelerate product innovation by leading the development of data pipelines, defining the vision and strategy for customer-centric solutions that enhance data processing across platforms, ensuring alig...
Reposted today
Senior Backend Engineer, Growth & MSSP
$170K - $235K *
Drive the design and implementation of backend services to enhance customer experiences across NodeZero’s licensing, provisioning, and admin systems. Lead efforts to ensure accuracy, scalability, and...
3 weeks ago
Senior AI Engineer with Amazon Bedrock AgentCore
$135K - $160K *
Unlock the future of AI as you design and enhance multi-agent orchestration frameworks, implementing state management and human-in-the-loop workflows to empower enterprise-level agent development at s...
3 weeks ago
$128K - $139K *
Drive the identity lifecycle for enterprise access management, ensuring secure, reliable identity services. Collaborate with teams to enhance user experience while implementing Zero Trust principles a...
2 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer, Solutions Engineering
$179K - $224K *
Unlock innovative solutions as you guide software engineering teams to navigate complexities and enhance integrations while mentoring diverse talents in a collaborative environment...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Site Reliability Engineering Team Lead (Principal SRE)
$150K - $180K *
Unlock potential by leading our Site Reliability Engineering team, ensuring the reliability and performance of our cloud-native platform. Drive technical excellence, cultivate a high-performance cultu...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Senior Site Reliability Engineer
$130K - $155K *
Transform our platform by enhancing performance and reliability as a Senior Site Reliability Engineer. Collaborate with teams to optimize Ruby on Rails applications, leverage AI for operational effici...
2 weeks ago
Lead Program Systems Engineer, Cyclops (remote considered)
$150K - $230K *
Architect system-level requirements and verification plans for a complex aerospace program. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure coherent design and integration across multiple engineerin...
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.