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Performance Engineering Lead Jobs (NOW HIRING)

... scale Performance Engineering Lead performance engineering initiatives, including system ... benchmarking, load testing, and capacity planning Analyze system bottlenecks and optimize latency ...

Lead end-to-end performance architecture across applications, services, infrastructure, and cloud ... Guide performance engineering practices for web and mobile , including load, stress, endurance, and ...

... lead performance engineering initiatives for large-scale distributed systems and cloud-native applications. This role focuses on designing and executing performance testing strategies, building ...

Engineering Lead

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120K - $159K/yr

Lead and mentor a growing team of software engineers while remaining an active individual ... Improve system performance, reliability, observability, and operational efficiency. * Conduct code ...

Engineering Lead

Chicago, IL

$105K - $139K/yr

You'll lead a squad of engineers through the complexities of modern backend development, and ensure that our frontend experiences are supported by high- performance APIs, secure data modeling, and ...

* Lead end-to-end performance engineering activities including test strategy workload modelling test planning scripting execution monitoring analysis reporting and signoff recommendations across ...

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Performance Engineering Lead information

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$42.5K

$123.8K

$180.5K

How much do performance engineering lead jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for performance engineering lead in the United States is $123,784.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $102,500.00 and $135,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Performance Engineering Lead vs Performance Test Engineer?

AspectPerformance Engineering LeadPerformance Test Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor's or master's in computer science, with certifications like CSTE or ISTQBOften holds similar certifications, focusing on testing methodologies
Work EnvironmentLeads performance initiatives, collaborates with multiple teams, and oversees performance strategiesConducts performance testing, analyzes results, and reports findings
Industry UsageUsed across industries for performance strategy leadershipCommonly found in QA and testing teams within various industries

The Performance Engineering Lead focuses on leading performance strategies and overseeing performance initiatives, while the Performance Test Engineer specializes in executing performance tests and analyzing results. Both roles require similar technical skills and certifications but differ in scope and responsibilities.

How does a Performance Engineering Lead typically collaborate with development and QA teams to ensure optimal application performance?

A Performance Engineering Lead works closely with both development and QA teams throughout the software development lifecycle. They participate in design reviews to identify potential performance bottlenecks early, set performance benchmarks, and help integrate performance testing into CI/CD pipelines. By facilitating communication and providing guidance on best practices, they ensure that performance considerations are addressed proactively, rather than reactively. This collaborative approach not only improves application speed and stability but also reduces costly late-stage fixes.

What does a Performance Engineering Lead do?

A Performance Engineering Lead is responsible for overseeing the performance optimization of software systems and applications. They guide teams in identifying bottlenecks, establishing best practices, and implementing solutions to ensure systems meet required speed, scalability, and reliability criteria. This role often involves coordinating performance testing, analyzing results, and collaborating with developers and infrastructure teams to improve system efficiency. Performance Engineering Leads also help set standards and mentor team members on performance engineering principles and tools.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Performance Engineering Lead, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Performance Engineering Lead, you need deep expertise in performance testing, system architecture, and software optimization, often backed by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with tools like JMeter, LoadRunner, APM solutions, and CI/CD systems, as well as relevant certifications, is typically required. Strong analytical thinking, leadership, and effective communication help in diagnosing issues and guiding teams toward performance goals. These skills are crucial to ensure reliable, scalable, and efficient systems that meet organizational and user requirements.
More about Performance Engineering Lead jobs
What cities are hiring for Performance Engineering Lead jobs? Cities with the most Performance Engineering Lead job openings:
What job categories do people searching Performance Engineering Lead jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Performance Engineering Lead jobs are:
Infographic showing various Performance Engineering Lead job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $123,784 per year, or $59.5 per hour.
Lead Software Engineer - Application Performance Engineering & Resiliency

Lead Software Engineer - Application Performance Engineering & Resiliency

Wells Fargo

Chandler, AZ

Full-time

Medical, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 5 days ago


Wells Fargo rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 699 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

68th of 149 rated banks


Job description

About this role:

Wells Fargo is seeking a Lead Software Engineer - Application Performance Engineering & Resiliency to lead performance, scalability, reliability, and resiliency initiatives for business-critical, cloud-native applications. This role combines hands-on software engineering expertise with technical leadership across distributed systems built on Java, Kubernetes/OpenShift, microservices, APIs, messaging platforms, and modern cloud technologies.


As a trusted technical leader, you will partner with engineering, architecture, platform, and SRE teams to ensure applications are designed, tested, and validated for performance, resilience, and operational excellence. You will drive performance-by-design practices, lead resiliency validation efforts, and establish engineering standards that enable highly scalable and reliable systems supporting millions of transactions in a regulated, high-availability environment.


This is an excellent opportunity for an engineer who enjoys solving complex scalability challenges, influencing enterprise architecture decisions, and driving continuous improvements in reliability and engineering excellence.


In this role, you will:

  • Lead performance engineering and resiliency initiatives across large-scale, distributed application ecosystems.

  • Define and implement performance, scalability, reliability, and observability standards for cloud-native platforms.

  • Partner with development teams to embed performance and resiliency requirements throughout the software development lifecycle.

  • Design and execute performance, load, stress, endurance, failover, and resiliency testing strategies.

  • Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks across applications, JVMs, APIs, Kubernetes/OpenShift platforms, databases, messaging systems, and infrastructure.

  • Drive capacity planning, workload modeling, and predictive scaling strategies to support future business growth.

  • Lead resiliency validation efforts through chaos engineering, fault-injection testing, disaster recovery validation, and high-availability assessments.

  • Establish and govern Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs), Service Level Objectives (SLOs), and production readiness criteria.

  • Advance observability practices through monitoring, logging, distributed tracing, and performance analytics.

  • Integrate automated performance and resiliency validation into CI/CD pipelines and DevOps workflows.

  • Serve as a technical advisor and mentor, helping engineering teams adopt modern performance engineering and SRE best practices.

  • Collaborate with stakeholders across engineering, architecture, infrastructure, operations, and vendor organizations to deliver reliable, high-performing solutions.


Required Qualifications:

  • 5+ years of Software Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

  • 5+ years of significant experience in performance engineering, reliability engineering, or platform engineering.

  • 5+ years of strong hands-on experience developing and supporting enterprise applications using Java, Spring Boot, microservices, and API-based architectures.

  • 3+ years of experience with containerized applications running on Kubernetes, OpenShift, or similar cloud-native platforms.

  • 3+ years of experience troubleshooting production container workloads with deep expertise in JVM and/or CoreCLR diagnostics, including container memory limits, thread dumps, and automated heap dumps.

  • 3+ years of strong experience with observability and monitoring platforms such as Dynatrace, AppDynamics, Splunk, Grafana, Prometheus, OTEL, or similar tools.

  • 3+ years of experience working with messaging technologies such as Kafka and enterprise databases (RDBMS and/or NoSQL).

  • 3+ years of experience integrating testing and validation into CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps workflows (Harness EPLx or similar tools).

Desired Qualifications:

  • Familiarity with functional testing, browser performance analysis (HAR files), and automation frameworks such as Playwright or Selenium is highly desirable.

  • Knowledge of SRE principles, production operations, resiliency testing, and chaos engineering practices.

  • Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence engineering decisions across multiple teams.

  • Strong communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.

  • Experience working in financial services or other highly regulated, mission-critical environments is preferred

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

Job Expectations:

  • This position offers a hybrid work schedule

  • This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship or transfer of visa

  • Relocation assistance is not available for this position

Locations :

  • 2600, S Price Rd. Building B, Chandler, AZ

  • 550 S 4th St., Minneapolis, MN

  • 300 S Brevard St., Charlotte, NC

  • 800 S Jordan Creek Pkwy, West Des Moines, IA

Pay range:

Reflected is the base pay range offered for this position. Pay may vary depending on factors including but not limited to demonstrated examples of prior performance, skills, experience, or work location. Employees may also be eligible for incentive opportunities.

For above posted locations - 119,000.00 - 187,000.00 USD Annual

Benefits:

  • Information about Wells Fargo's US employee benefits

  • Information about Wells Fargo's International employee benefits

Posting End Date:

31 Jul 2026

*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

Pay Range

Reflected is the base pay range offered for this position. Pay may vary depending on factors including but not limited to demonstrated examples of prior performance, skills, experience, or work location. Employees may also be eligible for incentive opportunities.

$119,000.00 - $206,000.00

Benefits

Wells Fargo provides eligible employees with a comprehensive set of benefits, many of which are listed below. VisitBenefits - Wells Fargo Jobs for an overview of the following benefit plans and programs offered to employees.

  • Health benefits
  • 401(k) Plan
  • Paid time off
  • Disability benefits
  • Life insurance, critical illness insurance, and accident insurance
  • Parental leave
  • Critical caregiving leave
  • Discounts and savings
  • Commuter benefits
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Scholarships for dependent children
  • Adoption reimbursement

Posting End Date:

30 Jul 2026

*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

We Value Equal Opportunity

Wells Fargo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit's risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.

Applicants with Disabilities

To request a medical accommodation during the application or interview process, visitDisability Inclusion at Wells Fargo.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Wells Fargo maintains a drug free workplace. Please see our Drug and Alcohol Policy to learn more.

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

a. Third-Party recordings are prohibited unless authorized by Wells Fargo.

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.


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About Wells Fargo

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is a leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 41 on Fortune's 2022 rankings of America's largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health and a low-carbon economy.

Industry

Finance and insurance

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

San Francisco, CA, US

Year founded

1852

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