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Senior Performance Engineer Jobs in Pittsburgh, PA

Senior Systems Performance Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site

$101K - $138K/yr

We are seeking a Linux Systems Performance Engineer to improve the performance, reliability, and observability of our onboard compute platform. This will be a hybrid role focused on both the ...

Senior Systems Performance Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · Hybrid

$101K - $138K/yr

We are seeking a Linux Systems Performance Engineer to improve the performance, reliability, and observability of our onboard compute platform. This will be a hybrid role focused on both the ...

Senior Systems Performance Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · Hybrid

$101K - $138K/yr

We are seeking a Linux Systems Performance Engineer to improve the performance, reliability, and observability of our onboard compute platform. This will be a hybrid role focused on both the ...

Software Engineer Senior-Ai Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site

$118K - $156K/yr

As a Software Engineer Senior within PNC's Technology organization, you will be based in Dallas, TX ... Model Serving & Performance Engineering: Proficiency with modern inference frameworks (vLLM, TGI ...

Senior Angular Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · Hybrid

$120K - $150K/yr

As a cloud-native SaaS provider, we ensure scalability, security, and performance. Our agile team of talented engineers works collaboratively to push the boundaries of what's possible, creating ...

Senior Platform Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site

$101K - $139K/yr

This role drives innovation in cloud architecture, automation, security engineering, performance, and resiliency. The Senior Platform Engineer partners cross-functionally to deliver scalable ...

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Senior Performance Engineer information

See Pittsburgh, PA salary details

$57.8K

$122.9K

$178.1K

How much do senior performance engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior performance engineer in Pittsburgh, PA is $122,864.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $101,400.00 and $139,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a senior performance engineer?

A Senior Performance Engineer is responsible for optimizing the performance, scalability, and reliability of software applications and systems. They analyze performance metrics, conduct load and stress testing, identify bottlenecks, and work with development teams to implement improvements. This role requires expertise in profiling tools, performance tuning, and system architecture to ensure optimal user experience. Additionally, they may establish best practices for performance testing and contribute to overall system design decisions.

What does a senior performance engineer do?

A Senior Performance Engineer typically oversees performance testing cycles, analyzes system metrics, and collaborates with development and operations teams to diagnose and resolve performance issues. Daily tasks often include designing and executing test plans, monitoring application behavior under load, and recommending improvements for scalability and efficiency. They also participate in code reviews and architectural discussions to identify potential bottlenecks early in the development cycle. Consistent communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders is key, ensuring that performance goals align with business objectives.

What skills and qualifications are needed to thrive as a senior performance engineer?

To thrive as a Senior Performance Engineer, expertise in performance analysis, capacity planning, and system optimization—often backed by a degree in computer science or a related field—is crucial. Familiarity with tools such as LoadRunner, JMeter, APM solutions, profiling tools, and relevant certifications like CPPE or PMP are highly beneficial. Strong problem-solving, collaboration, and clear communication skills are vital for identifying bottlenecks and working closely with cross-functional teams. These combine to ensure robust system performance, user satisfaction, and reliable application scalability in demanding technical environments.

What are the most commonly searched types of Performance Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA?

The most popular types of Performance Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA are:

What are popular job titles related to Senior Performance Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA?

For Senior Performance Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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The top searched job categories for Senior Performance Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA are:

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Cities near Pittsburgh, PA with the most Senior Performance Engineer job openings:

Senior Systems Performance Engineer

Motional

Pittsburgh, PA • On-site

$101K - $138K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Re-posted 2 days ago


Job description

Mission Summary:
Motional's Platform Infrastructure organization builds and operates the foundational onboard software systems that power our autonomous vehicles. Our responsibilities include system communications and IPC, networking, Linux operating system development and maintenance, high-speed data logging and offload, and onboard system performance optimization.
We are seeking a Linux Systems Performance Engineer to improve the performance, reliability, and observability of our onboard compute platform. This will be a hybrid role focused on both the development of new observability methods and metrics while also operating with the rest of the engineering organization to diagnose and develop solutions to improve our real-time system. You will build tools and telemetry that enable faster, and increasingly real-time, root cause analysis while partnering with autonomy teams to diagnose and resolve resource contention, crashes, latency spikes, and other complex system-level issues.
What You'll Be Doing:
  • Design and build low-overhead observability infrastructure for resource usage, latency, scheduling behavior, and system health.
  • Develop metrics, tracing, profiling, and analysis tools that identify performance contention and explain system behavior.
  • Improve real-time and post-event root cause analysis across CPU, memory, storage, networking, and other shared resources.
  • Partner with autonomy and platform teams to investigate crashes, latency spikes, missed deadlines, resource exhaustion, and performance regressions.
  • Analyze application, operating system, kernel, and hardware interactions on embedded Linux compute platforms.
  • Translate investigations into durable improvements, including tooling, alerts, dashboards, performance requirements, and architectural changes.
  • Define performance benchmarks and regression tests for onboard systems.
  • Evaluate the performance impact of new software, hardware, and system configurations.
  • Communicate findings clearly and provide actionable recommendations to cross-functional engineering teams.
  • Contribute to technical roadmaps for onboard observability and system performance.

What We're Looking For:
  • Strong experience debugging and optimizing Linux system performance.
  • Deep understanding of operating system concepts, including process scheduling, memory management, filesystems, networking, and inter-process communication.
  • Experience diagnosing resource contention, latency, crashes, or throughput problems in complex production systems.
  • Experience with Linux performance and tracing tools such as `perf`, ftrace, eBPF/BPF, BCC, bpftrace, flame graphs, or equivalent technologies.
  • Proficiency in a systems programming language such as C or C++.
  • Experience using Python, shell scripting, or similar languages for automation and data analysis.
  • Ability to analyze large volumes of system telemetry and distinguish root causes from symptoms.
  • Ability to work effectively across organizational boundaries and collaborate with application, infrastructure, and hardware teams.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex system behavior to varied audiences.

Bonus Points(not required):
  • Experience optimizing embedded Linux or automotive compute platforms.
  • Experience with real-time or latency-sensitive systems.
  • Experience working directly with the Linux kernel, scheduler, device drivers, or kernel instrumentation.
  • Experience designing observability platforms, telemetry pipelines, or fleet-scale performance analysis systems.
  • Experience with cgroups, namespaces, containers, and resource isolation.
  • Experience analyzing performance across heterogeneous compute resources such as CPUs, GPUs, and hardware accelerators.
  • Experience with high-throughput networking, storage, data logging, or data offload systems.
  • Experience establishing performance budgets, service-level objectives, or automated regression detection.
  • Experience with the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform or DriveOS ecosystem.
  • Familiarity with Bazel and large-scale C++ codebases.

Work Arrangement:
This role is hybrid from our Pittsburgh office and requires in-office days each week to support hands-on system work and cross-functional collaboration.
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.
Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional's benefits program. Motional's benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401k with a company match, health saving accounts, life insurance, pet insurance, and more.
Salary Range
$149,000-$198,500 USD
Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We're driven by something more.
Our journey is always people first.
We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.
Higher purpose, greater impact.
We're creating first-of-its-kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued at every level of the organization. Diversity helps us to see the world differently; it's not only good for our business, it's the right thing to do.
Scale up, not starting up.
Our team is behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's longest-standing public robotaxi fleet. We're driven to scale; we're moving towards commercialization of our technology, and we need team members who are ready to embrace change and challenges.
Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit www.Motional.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E-Verify. All newly-hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.