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Principal Performance Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Performance Architect (Remote)

Atlanta, GA · Remote

$160K/yr

Our client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Performance Architect (Systems Performance Engineer OR Principal Performance Engineer) to join their team. The ideal candidate will possess a ...

They are seeking a Principal AI Performance Engineer to lead a technical team in optimizing AI inference performance on AMD GPUs, tackling complex performance challenges and delivering impactful ...

In collaboration with multiple teams across Arm's engineering organization, you will diagnose and resolve performance challenges, and use these insights to influence Arms IP and tooling roadmaps.

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Principal Performance Engineer information

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$74K

$147.2K

$212.5K

How much do principal performance engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal performance engineer in the United States is $147,220.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $118,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Principal Performance Engineer?

A Principal Performance Engineer is a senior technical expert responsible for ensuring that software systems and applications operate at optimal performance levels. They lead efforts in designing, analyzing, and improving system architectures to prevent performance bottlenecks and scalability issues. Their work often includes conducting performance testing, identifying system limitations, and collaborating with development teams to implement solutions. Principal Performance Engineers also mentor other engineers and set best practices for performance optimization across the organization.

How does a Principal Performance Engineer typically collaborate with development and operations teams to optimize application performance?

A Principal Performance Engineer plays a pivotal role in bridging development and operations by working closely with both teams to identify, analyze, and resolve performance bottlenecks. They often participate in design reviews, consult on architectural decisions, and guide the implementation of best practices for scalability and reliability. Regularly, they lead performance testing efforts, share insights from monitoring tools, and mentor team members on performance tuning. This collaborative approach ensures that performance considerations are integrated throughout the software development lifecycle, resulting in robust and efficient applications.

What is the difference between Principal Performance Engineer vs Performance Engineer?

AspectPrincipal Performance EngineerPerformance Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in Computer Science or related, often with certifications in performance testingBachelor's in Computer Science or related, with similar certifications
Work EnvironmentLeads performance testing teams, designs strategies, and mentorsExecutes performance tests, analyzes results, and reports findings
Industry UsageUsed across large enterprises, tech companies, and software firmsCommon in software development, QA teams, and IT departments

The Principal Performance Engineer typically holds a leadership role, overseeing performance testing strategies and mentoring teams, while the Performance Engineer focuses on executing tests and analyzing results. Both roles require similar technical skills and certifications, but differ in scope and responsibility.

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

To thrive as a Principal Performance Engineer, you need deep expertise in system architecture, performance analysis, and optimization, typically supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Mastery of performance profiling tools (like JMeter, LoadRunner, or Dynatrace), scripting languages, and cloud platforms is essential, along with relevant industry certifications. Strong problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills help you collaborate across teams and drive system improvements. These skills ensure scalable, efficient, and reliable systems that meet business and user requirements in complex technical environments.
More about Principal Performance Engineer jobs
Lead/Principal Performance Engineer

Lead/Principal Performance Engineer

Salesforce, Inc.

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Posted 12 days ago


Salesforce rating

8.0

Company rating: 8.0 out of 10

Based on 57 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

96th of 202 rated software companies


Job description

To get the best candidate experience, please consider applying for a maximum of 3 roles within 12 months to ensure you are not duplicating efforts.
Job Category
Software Engineering
Job Details
About Salesforce
Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn't a buzzword - it's a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.
Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You're in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.
The Experience
The Lead/Principal Performance Engineer is a high-level technical leader and you are a performance and scale subject matter expert who drives innovation, designs high-scale automation frameworks, and ensures product reliability. You prevent bottlenecks before they happen through architectural influence, database tuning, and deep root cause analysis. You bring a multiplier effect to every team you join - elevating engineers around you and owning the most complex, systemic performance challenges from initial design through production. This role follows a hybrid schedule of 1-3 days per week in office.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
  • Lead performance efforts across multi-team projects by designing traffic models, establishing scale goals, and implementing sophisticated automation and monitoring strategies.
  • Serve as the expert in database tuning and system optimization, driving design meetings by questioning implementation choices and proposing high-performance alternatives.
  • Rapidly build proofs of concept and lead research spikes to test ideas and address critical scale issues through rapid prototyping and fast iteration.
  • Coach and mentor engineers at all levels, lead code and design reviews, and partner with product managers to ensure performance is a core part of the definition of done.

You're Our Person If...
  • 10+ years of experience as a software engineer or developer building platforms and applications at massive scale, including hands-on automation development.
  • Expert-level proficiency in Java, including Java Virtual Machine (JVM) performance tuning and Garbage Collection (GC) mechanisms, along with experience in Python, C, or Ruby on Rails.
  • Deep understanding of key performance metrics across throughput, latency, memory, central processing unit (CPU), disk, and network - with the ability to debug and resolve bottlenecks across all of them.
  • Strong communicator with a proven track record in Application Programming Interface (API) design, concurrency, resource efficiency, and the ability to present technical findings clearly to both engineers and executives.

Even Better If...
  • Professional experience applying AI tools in automation or performance engineering contexts.
  • Familiarity with distributed data and transport systems such as Apache Kafka, Apache Cassandra, or Apache Spark.
  • Salesforce platform experience or Salesforce certifications.
  • A related technical degree.

Unleash Your Potential
When you join Salesforce, you'll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we'll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future - but to redefine what's possible - for yourself, for AI, and the world.
Accommodations
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.
Please note that Salesforce uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters assess and evaluate candidates' resumes and qualifications throughout the recruiting process. Humans will always make any candidate selection and hiring decisions. Please see our Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we use your personal data and your rights, including with regard to use of AI tools and opt out options.
Posting Statement
Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that's inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications - without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.
In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensation practices that reflect the dynamic nature of labor markets across various regions.The typical base salary range for this position is $172,500 - $313,700 annually. In select cities within the San Francisco and New York City metropolitan area, the base salary range for this role is $207,800 - $344,700 annually.The range represents base salary only, and does not include company bonus, incentive for sales roles, equity or benefits, as applicable.

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