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.
Senior Software Performance Engineer
$160K - $180K *
Optimize system performance as a Senior Performance Engineer, focusing on latency and resource management. Collaborate with robotics teams to enhance high-throughput execution reliability and efficien...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Senior Security Platform Engineer
$145K - $175K *
Drive cloud infrastructure and security operations, ensuring platform reliability and incident response. Lead technical initiatives across multi-cloud environments, enhancing security posture and oper...
1 week ago
Senior Staff Technical Program Manager, Cloud Engineering Operations
$230K - $280K *
Drive execution and strategic alignment in Cloud Infrastructure, enhancing team collaboration and operational efficiency. Lead initiatives to improve project visibility and unblock dependencies, foste...
4 weeks ago
Senior Staff Technical Program Manager, Cloud Engineering Operations
$230K - $280K *
Drive execution in Cloud Infrastructure by streamlining priorities, unblocking teams, and improving tracking. Collaborate across teams to ensure clarity and adoption of successful operational models w...
4 weeks ago
Senior Manager, Core Infrastructure Engineering
$146K - $306K *
Unlock potential by leading a dynamic engineering team to develop network control software for AI infrastructure, ensuring reliable, scalable operations while driving innovation and team growth in a f...
5 days ago
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Cloud Availability Platform
$250K - $300K *
Lead the development of a cutting-edge platform for managing a vast AI GPU fleet, focusing on automation, API design, and self-service capabilities. Collaborate with teams to create scalable solutions...
1 week ago
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Cloud Availability Platform
$250K - $300K *
Unlock potential by building a cutting-edge platform for AI datacenters, enabling seamless operations across a vast GPU fleet. Drive innovation in distributed systems, ensuring self-service capabiliti...
1 week ago
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Cloud Availability Platform
$250K - $300K *
Innovate the future of AI infrastructure by designing a robust platform that empowers teams with self-serve capabilities, ensuring seamless operations across one of the largest GPU fleets globally. Dr...
1 week ago
$95K - $115K *
Optimize the performance of utility-scale solar and energy storage assets by leading analytics, forecasting, and root cause analysis. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance operational eff...
5 days ago
Client Operations Support Engineer
$85K - $134K *
Join us to enhance endpoint management and security across diverse devices. Collaborate with teams to streamline device provisioning, automate processes, and ensure compliance, all while delivering ex...
1 week ago
$80K - $95K *
Champion the development and integration of complex systems, ensuring alignment with operational needs and technical requirements throughout their lifecycle. Collaborate with teams to enhance solution...
6 days ago
$80K - $95K *
Engage with us to support systems from concept through deployment, ensuring operational requirements are met. Collaborate with teams to define technical needs and enhance system performance throughout...
6 days ago
Staff Software Engineer, Enterprise Product
$200K - $400K *
Drive technical leadership for a full-stack product engineering team, shaping the platform that enables customers to create and optimize AI agents. Collaborate across teams to define strategies and me...
Reposted 1 week ago
$90K - $110K *
Lead the charge in optimizing operational workflows for an Information Security Continuous Monitoring program. Collaborate with stakeholders to enhance cybersecurity processes using ITIL and BPM princ...
6 days ago
Staff Machine Reliability Engineer
$148K - $204K *
Drive machine reliability improvements across an additive manufacturing fleet by leading root cause analyses, engaging cross-functional teams, and implementing durable solutions for complex engineerin...
3 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Innovate as a Full Stack Engineer, shaping impactful products in a dynamic space. Collaborate across teams to drive reliable solutions, utilizing AI tools for efficiency while fostering a culture of l...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$184K - $356K *
Lead the charge in developing cutting-edge GPU architecture, enhancing scalability, performance, and yield, while collaborating across teams to drive innovation and optimize design tools and testing i...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Systems Software Engineer, Generalist
$120K - $145K *
Join a team that's shaping the future of autonomous systems by developing robust software solutions. Collaborate across disciplines to create reliable, scalable software that powers next-generation ma...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Systems Software Engineer, Generalist
$110K - $130K *
Innovate software solutions for autonomous maritime systems, integrating hardware, robotics, and distributed systems. Collaborate across engineering teams to enhance performance and reliability in mis...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Senior Production Support Engineer
$110K - $130K *
Lead the transformation of our cloud-based application support by driving incident resolution, enhancing system reliability, and mentoring team members. Shape operational excellence through automation...
1 week ago
Software Engineer 1 - OS Internals
$90K - $180K *
Drive the evolution of cutting-edge enterprise hypervisor technology. Collaborate with a global team to enhance reliability, performance, and security of solutions while engaging with open-source comm...
4 weeks ago
$120K - $160K *
Develop your career by engaging in critical system engineering tasks, working collaboratively with teams and users to ensure effective solutions, performance evaluation, and requirements management in...
3 weeks ago
$136K - $160K *
Elevate operations through AI-driven automation to enhance incident management, streamline ticket resolution, and optimize service health with self-healing observability, all while collaborating acros...
Reposted 1 week ago
$130K - $155K *
Unlock potential by joining an innovative Systems/Hardware team to drive system validation, enhance hardware reliability, and collaborate cross-functionally to optimize data center performance and pro...
4 weeks ago
Member of Technical Staff - Production Engineering
$150K - $300K *
Accelerate progress at the intersection of cloud infrastructure and AI workloads. In this hands-on senior role, you'll enhance engineering efficiency by creating reusable platform capabilities and ens...
1 week 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.