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Software Performance Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

PDT Partners

Performance Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$195K - $225K/yr

You will work at the intersection of software, systems, and hardware to analyze performance, drive ... Versatile engineering mindset: ability to learn quickly, tackle diverse challenges, and adapt.

PDT Partners

Performance Engineer

New York, NY · Hybrid

$195K - $225K/yr

You will work at the intersection of software, systems, and hardware to analyze performance, drive ... Versatile engineering mindset: ability to learn quickly, tackle diverse challenges, and adapt.

sydata

Performance Engineer

Bloomington, IL · On-site

The convergence of technologies such as web services, workflow software and business performance ... Performance Engineer Location: Bloomington (IL) Duration: 6+ Months Note: Passport Number/i94 is ...

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Software Performance Engineer information

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How much do software performance engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for software performance engineer in the United States is $139,529.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $140,000.00 and $140,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

To thrive as a Software Performance Engineer, you need a solid background in computer science, strong programming skills (often in languages like Java, C++, or Python), and experience in analyzing and optimizing software performance. Familiarity with profiling tools (such as JProfiler, VisualVM, or Perf), performance testing frameworks (like JMeter or LoadRunner), and knowledge of system monitoring solutions are typically required. Analytical thinking, problem-solving, and clear communication are standout soft skills for diagnosing issues and collaborating with development teams. These competencies ensure that applications run efficiently and reliably, directly impacting user satisfaction and system scalability.

What are Software Performance Engineers?

Software Performance Engineers are specialists who focus on ensuring that software applications run efficiently and meet performance requirements. They analyze system bottlenecks, optimize code and system configurations, and conduct performance testing to identify and resolve issues such as slow response times or high resource usage. Their work helps improve user experience and system reliability, especially for applications expected to handle large numbers of users or complex computations. Software Performance Engineers often collaborate with developers, QA teams, and system administrators to maintain and enhance application performance throughout the software development lifecycle.

What is the difference between Software Performance Engineer vs Software Quality Assurance Engineer?

AspectSoftware Performance EngineerSoftware Quality Assurance Engineer
Primary FocusOptimizing software speed, scalability, and efficiencyEnsuring software meets quality standards and is bug-free
Skills & CertificationsPerformance testing, profiling, scripting, knowledge of performance toolsTesting methodologies, defect tracking, automation tools, ISTQB certification
Work EnvironmentDevelopment teams, performance testing labs, cloud environmentsTesting teams, QA labs, cross-functional project teams
Industry UsageTech, finance, e-commerce, gamingSoftware development, enterprise applications, healthcare

While both roles focus on software quality, the Software Performance Engineer specializes in optimizing system performance and scalability, whereas the Software Quality Assurance Engineer concentrates on overall quality assurance and defect prevention. Understanding these differences helps employers and professionals align skills with job requirements.

What are some common challenges faced by Software Performance Engineers when optimizing large-scale applications?

Software Performance Engineers often encounter challenges such as identifying performance bottlenecks in complex, distributed systems and ensuring scalability as user demand grows. Troubleshooting issues may require deep dives into both application code and infrastructure layers, often under tight deadlines. Collaboration with development, QA, and operations teams is essential to implement performance improvements without disrupting existing functionality. Staying up-to-date with evolving technologies and profiling tools is also key to maintaining optimal performance.
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Software Performance Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Software Performance Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 96% Full Time, 1% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $139,529 per year, or $67.1 per hour.
Sr. Software Engineer - Performance

Sr. Software Engineer - Performance

Databricks

Mountain View, CA • On-site

$166K - $225K/yr

Full-time

Posted 29 days ago

Job description

P-97
At Databricks, we are passionate about enabling data teams to solve the world's toughest problems. We do this by building and running the world's best data and AI infrastructure platform so our customers can use deep data insights to improve their business. We constantly push the boundaries of data and AI technology, while simultaneously operating with the resilience, security and scale that is critical to making customers successful on our platform. Databricks develops and operates one of the largest scale software platforms; the fleet consists of millions of virtual machines, generating terabytes of logs and processing exabytes of data per day. At our scale, we regularly observe cloud hardware, network, and operating system faults, and our software must gracefully shield our customers from any of the above.
As a performance engineer, you will work closely with multiple teams across the company to evaluate the performance of products and features, identify performance bottlenecks, and partner with engineers to solve performance and scalability issues. This implies, among other teams, setting performance targets for various software releases, guiding teams to develop performance benchmarks, running competitive benchmark analysis for different Databricks products, doing deep dive analysis to identify performance issues and fix them.
The impact you will have:
  • Identify performance limitations of the entire stack based on telemetry, customer signals, PoCs, and competitive benchmarks, that will result in the best performing system across the industry, when resolved. Dimensions include latency, data and compute scalability, concurrency, cost, and price to performance ratio. Impact spans all cloud providers and all major areas.
  • Set the performance expectations for all cross-cutting efforts early on through specialized benchmarks capturing the intended customer user journeys, and make sure they are met before deployed to customers.
  • Understand the performance characteristics of the compute instance types, storage layers, and all cloud services Databricks depends on and deploy optimal solutions to meet the customer demand.
  • Work with customers to root cause and mitigate performance problems during production, previews, and POCs.

What We Look For:
  • BS (or higher degree) in Computer Science, or a related field
  • Experience in the performance analysis discipline. Ability to identify performance issues, root cause problems, and be able to come up with potential solutions.
  • Experience in software development, preferably in large scale distributed systems
  • Ability to measure and document the impact of performance features to existing customers, such as possible regressions for certain workloads, their extent, and which customers will be affected.
  • Ability to build strong working relationships with developers and field engineers to facilitate triaging and mitigation of performance problems.

Pay Range Transparency
Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipates utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here.
Local Pay Range
$166,000-$225,000 USD
About Databricks
Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide - including Comcast, Condé Nast, Grammarly, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 - rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratize data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
BenefitsAt Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.
Compliance
If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.

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