System Performance Engineer Jobs
System Performance Engineer jobs are open across cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, and enterprise software companies, from new-grad to staff and principal levels, with specializations in benchmarking, capacity planning, and latency optimization. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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At Apple, people don't just build products. They build the kind of wonder that has reshaped entire industries. The diversity of our people and ideas drives the innovation behind everything we do, from breakthrough technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple and help us leave the world better than we found it. The iPhone System Engineering team is looking for an Engineer who is passionate about how iPhone performs. You will measure, model, and tune the power, performance, and thermal behavior of future iPhone SoCs and systems. You will work with a collaborative team that cares about getting the details right and about making the right architectural trade-offs Our team is collaborative and we are passionate about what we do. Come join us!
Description
In this role, you will: Get your hands on real SOC silicon and real iPhone systems: Run hands-on performance and power measurements with hardware and software tools. Dig into the data, find the root cause of unexpected behavior, and turn what you learn into clear optimization opportunities. Architect for the trade-off: Analyze system behavior across the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and memory subsystem. Weigh power, performance, and thermal constraints against each other, and help decide where the next iPhone SoC and system should invest its power and silicon budget. Project the future: Build models, analyses, and simulations that project performance for upcoming iPhone products. Use them to influence architectural decisions across the hardware and software stack. Sweat the details: Correlate models with measurements and question assumptions. Make sure the numbers behind each design decision hold up to scrutiny. Partner broadly: Work with silicon, hardware, and software teams, and present findings and recommendations to engineering and executive leadership to guide product direction.
Minimum Qualifications
- BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and 3+ years of industry experience.
- Experience in computer, SoC, or system architecture for mobile devices.
- Hands-on experience measuring performance with hardware and software tools.
- Experience in performance modeling, analysis, and debug.
- Strong programming skills in Python, and experience using AI tools to accelerate analysis and development.
- A detail-driven mindset, with the rigor to validate data and models before drawing conclusions.
- Genuine passion for system performance and for building great products.
Preferred Qualifications
- MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science
- 7+ years of industry experience in performance modeling and/or analysis
- Deep understanding of the hardware that drives performance, including the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and memory
- Strong grasp of how power and thermal limits shape system performance, and experience architecting trade-offs among power, performance, and thermal at the SoC or system level
- Hands-on experience developing simulators or performance analysis tools
- Good interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex trade-offs clearly to both technical and executive audiences
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $150,400 and $277,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant
At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace
Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants
Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.
At Apple, people don't just build products. They build the kind of wonder that has reshaped entire industries. The diversity of our people and ideas drives the innovation behind everything we do, from breakthrough technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple and help us leave the world better than we found it. The iPhone System Engineering team is looking for an Engineer who is passionate about how iPhone performs. You will measure, model, and tune the power, performance, and thermal behavior of future iPhone SoCs and systems. You will work with a collaborative team that cares about getting the details right and about making the right architectural trade-offs Our team is collaborative and we are passionate about what we do. Come join us!
Description
In this role, you will: Get your hands on real SOC silicon and real iPhone systems: Run hands-on performance and power measurements with hardware and software tools. Dig into the data, find the root cause of unexpected behavior, and turn what you learn into clear optimization opportunities. Architect for the trade-off: Analyze system behavior across the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and memory subsystem. Weigh power, performance, and thermal constraints against each other, and help decide where the next iPhone SoC and system should invest its power and silicon budget. Project the future: Build models, analyses, and simulations that project performance for upcoming iPhone products. Use them to influence architectural decisions across the hardware and software stack. Sweat the details: Correlate models with measurements and question assumptions. Make sure the numbers behind each design decision hold up to scrutiny. Partner broadly: Work with silicon, hardware, and software teams, and present findings and recommendations to engineering and executive leadership to guide product direction.
Minimum Qualifications
- BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and 3+ years of industry experience.
- Experience in computer, SoC, or system architecture for mobile devices.
- Hands-on experience measuring performance with hardware and software tools.
- Experience in performance modeling, analysis, and debug.
- Strong programming skills in Python, and experience using AI tools to accelerate analysis and development.
- A detail-driven mindset, with the rigor to validate data and models before drawing conclusions.
- Genuine passion for system performance and for building great products.
Preferred Qualifications
- MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science
- 7+ years of industry experience in performance modeling and/or analysis
- Deep understanding of the hardware that drives performance, including the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and memory
- Strong grasp of how power and thermal limits shape system performance, and experience architecting trade-offs among power, performance, and thermal at the SoC or system level
- Hands-on experience developing simulators or performance analysis tools
- Good interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex trade-offs clearly to both technical and executive audiences
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $150,400 and $277,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant
At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace
Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants
Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.
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Find JobsSystem Performance Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Electronics & Hardware
- Telecommunications
- Retail
- E-Commerce & Online Marketplaces
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in system performance engineer jobs.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related technical field
- Proficiency with performance profiling tools such as perf, VTune, or Flame Graphs
- Experience with benchmarking methodologies and workload characterization across distributed systems
- Hands-on knowledge of operating system internals, memory management, and CPU scheduling
- Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python or Bash for automation and test harnesses
- Experience using monitoring and observability platforms to identify and resolve bottlenecks at scale
Tips for Your System Performance Engineer Job Search
Quantify your performance wins precisely
Hiring managers for system performance engineers want numbers, not narratives. Document latency reductions, throughput gains, and resource utilization improvements from past roles with specific before-and-after metrics so your resume stands out in automated screening.
List profiling and observability tools explicitly
Many job descriptions filter for tools like perf, Flame Graphs, DTrace, or eBPF. Bury these in a skills section and you risk getting filtered out. Name each tool you've used and pair it with the system context where you applied it.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists system performance engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that match your stack depth
System performance roles split sharply between kernel-level work, distributed systems tuning, and application-layer optimization. Applying to roles outside your stack depth wastes time. Filter openings by the specific layer you've worked in to get more relevant callbacks.
Prepare a live debugging walkthrough
Most system performance interviews include a real or simulated performance investigation, not just theory. Practice narrating your diagnostic process out loud, from identifying a bottleneck through forming a hypothesis to confirming a fix, before your first technical screen.
Negotiate scope not just compensation
At the offer stage, ask what systems you'll own end-to-end and how performance goals are measured. Teams that lack clear SLOs or instrument nothing often stall your growth. Clarifying ownership and tooling upfront protects your career trajectory.
System Performance Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most system performance engineers?
The companies hiring the most system performance engineers right now include NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Apple, with the largest share of openings in California, Texas, and Maryland, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is especially concentrated at companies running large-scale cloud infrastructure or high-throughput real-time systems.
How many system performance engineer jobs are remote?
About 54% of system performance engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the role's heavy reliance on tooling and telemetry rather than physical hardware access. Sub-specializations focused on distributed systems and application-layer tuning tend to have the highest share of remote-eligible postings compared to firmware or embedded performance roles.
How do you become a system performance engineer?
Start with a foundation in computer science or electrical engineering, then build hands-on experience with profiling tools, operating system internals, and benchmarking frameworks. Contribute to open-source performance projects or publish reproducible benchmark results to demonstrate practical depth. Move into the role by targeting positions with a performance-adjacent scope, such as reliability engineering or systems software, then specializing over time.
Can you get hired as a system performance engineer without much experience?
Yes, entry-level system performance engineer roles exist, particularly at companies that grow engineers from adjacent positions. Build a portfolio of documented performance investigations, even from personal or academic projects, that show you can identify a bottleneck, form a hypothesis, and validate a fix. Familiarity with at least one profiling toolchain and a solid grasp of OS fundamentals make a strong case for a junior hire.
What does the system performance engineer interview process look like?
Most processes start with a recruiter screen, then move to a technical phone interview covering systems knowledge and tool familiarity. Later rounds typically include a live performance debugging exercise, a design discussion around capacity planning or SLO definition, and a behavioral round with the hiring team. Some companies add a take-home benchmarking task before the final loop.
Where can I find and apply to system performance engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to system performance engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Find roles that match your stack and experience level, then apply directly to each listing from the page.
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