Performance Engineer Jobs in California

Performance Engineer jobs in California are highly active, with strong demand across aerospace and defense, automotive testing, semiconductor manufacturing, and enterprise software, at every level from entry-level analyst through principal engineer. The largest concentrations of openings are in the Los Angeles, San Jose, and San Diego metros, where established employers such as Northrop Grumman, Qualcomm, and Apple consistently hire performance engineers. The most sought-after specializations in California include load testing and capacity planning, embedded systems performance, and application reliability engineering. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles170+

Top employerApple

Top citySanta Clara, CA

Cities hiring24

Work type62% On-site

Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 170+ Performance Engineer jobs

Software Engineer III, Pixel Performance, SoC

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Added 1d ago

Google

Software Engineer III, Pixel Performance, SoC

Mountain View, California

Added 1d ago

Google

Mountain View, California

Corporate Training

Corporate Training & Learning Development

Teaching & Instruction

Corporate Training

Corporate Training & Learning Development

Teaching & Instruction

$147k - $210k/yr

Master's degree

$147k - $210k/yr

Master's degree

10,000+

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Software Performance Engineer for Memory, CoreOS

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Added 1d ago

Apple

Software Performance Engineer for Memory, CoreOS

Cupertino, California

Added 1d ago

Apple

Cupertino, California

Software Engineering

Solutions Engineering & Architecture

Specialized Engineering

Technical Program Management

Software Engineering

Solutions Engineering & Architecture

Specialized Engineering

Technical Program Management

$185k - $278k/yr

Bachelor of Science

$185k - $278k/yr

Bachelor of Science

10,000+

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Systems Software Engineer - Performance & Agentic Tools

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Added 1d ago

Apple

Systems Software Engineer - Performance & Agentic Tools

Cupertino, California

Added 1d ago

Apple

Cupertino, California

Software Engineering

Technical Product & Program Management

UI/UX Design

Software Engineering

Technical Product & Program Management

UI/UX Design

$129k - $225k/yr

Experience equivalent to degree accepted

$129k - $225k/yr

Experience equivalent to degree accepted

10,000+

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Compiler Engineer, Graph Compiler Performance Optimization

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Added 1d ago

Minimum qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages (e.g., C), or 1 year of experience with an advanced degree.
2 years of experience working with embedded operating systems.

Preferred qualifications:

Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical fields.
2 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
Experience with hardware (ideally ARM but other architectures also acceptable).

About the job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

The Pixel Device Performance Software team is responsible for all things performance for Pixel phones and tablets, from developing OS performance management software, tuning device policy, collecting performance metrics, analyzing and profiling workloads.

In this role, you will work with cross-functional teams to create efficient solutions that utilize and manage system resources such as Central Processing Unit (CPU) and fabric in the SoC, and ensure the system runs smoothly to support key use cases.

The Platforms and Devices team encompasses Google's various computing software platforms across environments (desktop, mobile, applications), as well as our first party devices and services that combine the best of Google AI, software, and hardware. Teams across this area research, design, and develop new technologies to make our user's interaction with computing faster and more seamless, building innovative experiences for our users around the world.Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $147000 - $210000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

Work on latest Pixel releases focus on SoC bring-up, performance and power efficiency. Review design and power management architecture for future SoCs.
Develop new algorithms for improving Android workload efficiency (DVFS, governors, scheduler, runtimes). Evaluate software and hardware design choices on key workloads.
Profile and analyze critical user journeys to identify and improve performance and power efficiency for Pixel devices.
Analyze the utilization of the key components of System on a Chip (SoC) like Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and Fabrics.
Develop common infrastructure for effective Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS).

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.

Google

Software Engineer III, Pixel Performance, SoC

Mountain View, California

Added 1d ago

10,000+ employees

Job functions:

Corporate Training

Corporate Training & Learning Development

Teaching & Instruction

$147k - $210k/yr

Master's degree

Job Description

Minimum qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages (e.g., C), or 1 year of experience with an advanced degree.
2 years of experience working with embedded operating systems.

Preferred qualifications:

Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical fields.
2 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
Experience with hardware (ideally ARM but other architectures also acceptable).

About the job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

The Pixel Device Performance Software team is responsible for all things performance for Pixel phones and tablets, from developing OS performance management software, tuning device policy, collecting performance metrics, analyzing and profiling workloads.

In this role, you will work with cross-functional teams to create efficient solutions that utilize and manage system resources such as Central Processing Unit (CPU) and fabric in the SoC, and ensure the system runs smoothly to support key use cases.

The Platforms and Devices team encompasses Google's various computing software platforms across environments (desktop, mobile, applications), as well as our first party devices and services that combine the best of Google AI, software, and hardware. Teams across this area research, design, and develop new technologies to make our user's interaction with computing faster and more seamless, building innovative experiences for our users around the world.Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $147000 - $210000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

Work on latest Pixel releases focus on SoC bring-up, performance and power efficiency. Review design and power management architecture for future SoCs.
Develop new algorithms for improving Android workload efficiency (DVFS, governors, scheduler, runtimes). Evaluate software and hardware design choices on key workloads.
Profile and analyze critical user journeys to identify and improve performance and power efficiency for Pixel devices.
Analyze the utilization of the key components of System on a Chip (SoC) like Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and Fabrics.
Develop common infrastructure for effective Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS).

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.

See All 170+ Performance Engineer Jobs in California

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Performance Engineer Jobs by City in California

Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Sunnyvale

20 jobs

San Francisco

19 jobs

Cupertino

17 jobs

Mountain View

8 jobs

Palo Alto

3 jobs

Foster City

3 jobs

Performance Engineer Job Market in California

A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

Apple29
NVIDIA18
Google12
Qualcomm12
AMD8

Top Industries Hiring

Technology & Software32
Electronics & Hardware28
Science & Research13
Telecommunications8
Artificial Intelligence5

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What California Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in performance engineer jobs across California.

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, or software engineering or a related technical field
Proficiency with performance testing tools such as JMeter, LoadRunner, or Gatling
Experience designing and executing load, stress, and scalability test plans
Familiarity with APM platforms such as Dynatrace, New Relic, or AppDynamics
Ability to analyze system bottlenecks and deliver data-driven optimization recommendations
Strong scripting or coding skills in Python, Java, or shell scripting for automation workflows

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Performance Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a performance engineer in California?

A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, or a related discipline is the standard entry point for performance engineer roles in California. The field does not require a California state license for most software and systems positions, but engineers working on aerospace or automotive hardware may pursue professional engineer registration through the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Certifications in cloud platforms or performance testing tools strengthen a California application considerably.

Which companies hire performance engineers in California?

Employers hiring performance engineers in California right now include Apple, NVIDIA, and Google, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. California's concentration of semiconductor, defense, and enterprise software firms means hiring is broad across both hardware-focused and cloud-native performance engineering disciplines.

Which California cities have the most performance engineer jobs?

Santa Clara, San Diego, and San Jose have the most performance engineer openings in California. The San Jose area leads because of the density of semiconductor and enterprise software headquarters in Silicon Valley, while Los Angeles is driven by aerospace and defense contractors, and San Diego's activity reflects the strong presence of wireless technology firms and defense systems companies anchored there.

Are there remote performance engineer jobs in California?

Yes, and more than many engineering disciplines, because a meaningful portion of performance engineering work involves analyzing data, writing test scripts, and reviewing telemetry that can be done entirely through cloud tooling. About 38% of performance engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting the role's strong presence in software and cloud infrastructure teams. Hardware and embedded systems positions remain predominantly on-site.

How can I get hired as a performance engineer in California with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is through a quality assurance or software test engineer role, which large California employers such as Qualcomm, Apple, and Northrop Grumman staff at the associate level and regularly promote into performance engineering. Building a portfolio that demonstrates load test scripts, bottleneck analysis write-ups, or open-source contributions to testing frameworks gives candidates a concrete edge. Community college certificate programs in software testing available throughout the California State University system also help bridge the gap for candidates without a four-year engineering degree.

Where can I find and apply to performance engineer jobs in California?

You can find and apply to performance engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and experience levels. Search the listings, find roles that fit your background and location, and apply directly to the employers posting them.

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