Performance Engineering Internship Jobs in California

We help the world run better
At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging - but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed. 

What You'll Build

The SAP Internship Experience Program is SAP's global, strategic, paid internship program that provides university students with opportunities to find purpose in their careers. This is more than an internship; it's the foundation for a career built on connection, creativity, and impact.

Position title: SAP SuccessFactors iXp Intern - AI Software Engineer (Summer 2026) 

Location: Palo Alto, CA (Hybrid)

Expected Start: June 2026

Duration: 10 Weeks

Interns will work on a variety of AI Software Development and Performance Analysis tasks. Some example tasks include:

• Design and develop fullstack AI-driven solutions for automated performance analysis across SAP SuccessFactors.

• Build innovative tools using cuttingedge Agentic AI, GenAI, and cloudnative tech to detect, report, and resolve product performance issues.

• Analyze AI and product workflows to automatically identify performance problems and antipatterns.

• Create AI-powered solutions for automated generation of MUPT performance testing scripts.

• Adopt the latest open-source tools and technologies for use in SAP context

• Perform debugging, problem solving and resolving defects / bugs as required

• Apply technical knowledge to challenging programming and design problems

• Demonstrate a passion for developing well-architected, elegant software tools and services, incorporating recent AI and software technological advancements
  

You'll join a collaborative, energetic team that emphasizes mentorship and continuous learning. Interns work sidebyside with senior software engineers and architects, receive daily guidance, and are encouraged to take ownership of meaningful deliverables. This is a handson role where you'll gain real-world experience and rapid professional growth.

What you'll learn & the work you'll join

Expect broad exposure to cloudnative fullstack development and modern performance engineering practices. Typical learning areas include AI/ML systems, GenAI and Agentic AI, Kubernetes and containerization, and performance analysis techniques. The team's portfolio is highly innovative-recent work includes three AI/ML patents, more than ten active projects, and frequent collaboration across engineering and operations teams to analyze customer data and resolve real customer issues.

What You'll Bring

We're looking for someone who takes initiative, perseveres, and stays curious. You like to work on meaningful innovative projects and are energized by lifelong learning.

• Educational requirements: Currently enrolled in a bachelor's or master's degree.

  1. Preferred Focus Area: Computer science or Computer engineering

Desired Experience Level/Background

• • Experience in Full-Stack development using any cloud native programming language (Java, Python, Go)

  • Experience working with AI/ML, GenAI, assessing their benefits and shortcomings against an end-to-end workflow

  • Experience with Agentic AI is a plus; Adopting AI or machine learning for automated analysis of a given real-world or software task

  • Experience in having optimized or analyzed any component or API in a software application for performance, reliability or scalability

Desired Technical Skills:

• • Proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Python, and Go. It is strongly encouraged to have knowledge and understanding regarding the fundamentals of your chosen language's execution implementations and its effects on a given software product
    

  • Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, GCP, AWS) and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
    

  • Knowledge of basic Performance Engineering concepts and Performance KPIs
    

  • Frontend experience, including JavaScript / Node.js, React experience is a plus
    

Where You Belong

Be part of SAP Next Gen, a global community for students, universities, schools and educational partners, who are passionate about innovation and technology.

1. Culture of Collaboration: Partner with experienced SAP colleagues and expert mentors who will support your growth. Grow professionally through personalized mentoring, coaching, and career development support.

2. Project-driven Experience: Kickstart your career with hands-on learning experience, making an impact from day one by contributing to meaningful projects that help the world run better.  You'll have endless learning resources at your fingertips and gain future-ready skills from a variety of virtual, in-person, and hybrid learning sessions, cultivated just for you, and aligned with our learning approach.

3. Gain Visibility: Build relationships with leaders and peers across teams and functions. Showcase your ideas, skills, and creativity in a global, fast-paced environment. Open doors for future career opportunities within SAP and beyond.

Our team values openness, continuous improvement, and technical excellence. We operate in an environment and domain within SAP SuccessFactors where deep knowledge, execution, detailed communication, and accurate insights are our sole focus.

Our team meets regularly, with different team members providing topic presentations and deep dives during team meetings. The atmosphere is supportive and humble; members focus on different topics among a vast array of team priorities.

Follow @LifeatSAP on Instagram and don't miss anything about our experiences worldwide!

#LifeAtSAP

#SAPNextGen

Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.  
We win with inclusion
SAP's culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone - regardless of background - feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.
SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.
For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability.

Compensation Range Transparency: SAP believes the value of pay transparency contributes towards an honest and supportive culture and is a significant step toward demonstrating SAP's commitment to pay equity. SAP provides the annualized compensation range inclusive of base salary and variable incentive target for the career level applicable to the posted role. The targeted combined range for this position is 15-62 (USD) USD. The actual amount to be offered to the successful candidate will be within that range, dependent upon the key aspects of each case which may include education, skills, experience, scope of the role, location, etc. as determined through the selection process. Any SAP variable incentive includes a targeted dollar amount and any actual payout amount is dependent on company and personal performance. Please reference this link for a summary of SAP benefits and eligibility requirements: SAP North America Benefits.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.
Requisition ID: 447482  | Work Area: Software-Design and Development  | Expected Travel: 0 - 10%  | Career Status: Student  | Employment Type: Limited Full Time   | Additional Locations:  #LI-Hybrid