Performance Engineer Sr

Dayforce is a global human capital management (HCM) company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, with operations across North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), and the Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region.

Our award-winning Cloud HCM platform offers a unified solution database and continuous calculation engine, driving efficiency, productivity and compliance for the global workforce.

Our brand promise - Makes Work Life Better - Reflects our commitment to employees, customers, partners and communities globally.

About the Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior Performance Engineer with a strong software engineering background and deep expertise in profiling, debugging, and optimizing application performance at scale.

This is a developer-first role focused on improving system efficiency through code-level analysis, architectural insights, and data-driven optimization. You will work closely with engineering teams to identify performance bottlenecks, optimize execution paths, and ensure our platforms are highly scalable, reliable, and cost-efficient.

What you'll get to do

• Profile, analyze, and optimize application code to improve:
• Execution efficiency
• CPU, memory, and I/O utilization
• Latency and throughput
• Conduct deep-dive investigations into performance issues using tools such as:
• SQL Profiler, dotTrace, DebugDiag, WinDbg, Fiddler, and observability platforms
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks at the code, database, and system level, leveraging profiling data, logs, and telemetry
• Analyze and optimize:
  • C# / ASP.NET application performance (threading, async patterns, memory usage, GC behavior)
  • Database queries and execution plans (MS SQL, MongoDB)
  • Network calls and API behavior
• Collaborate with developers and architects to:
  • Embed performance considerations into system design
  • Influence architectural decisions for scalability and efficiency
  • Drive performance-focused code reviews
• Optimize enterprise SaaS applications across:
  • Multi-tier web architectures
  • Microservices-based distributed systems
• Design and execute capacity and scalability experiments to guide system sizing and cost optimization
• Build and enhance tools to monitor, analyze, and visualize performance metrics in cloud environments
• Analyze performance data and provide clear, actionable recommendations to engineering and product stakeholders
• Leverage AI tools to automate analysis, optimize workflows, and improve engineering productivity
• Contribute to and lead performance engineering best practices across teams

Skills and experience we value

• Strong background in software development with a focus on performance optimization
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages:
  • C# and Python
• Strong experience with:
  • ASP.NET / .NET application performance tuning and diagnostics
• Experience with scripting and automation:
  • Python, JavaScript
• Deep hands-on experience with profiling and debugging tools, such as:
• SQL Profiler, dotTrace, DebugDiag, WinDbg, Fiddler
• Strong experience with code-level profiling and optimization techniques
• Hands-on experience with database performance tuning:
• MS SQL, MongoDB (query optimization, indexing, execution plans)
• Proven ability to:
  • Analyze and optimize code for quality, efficiency, and performance
  • Diagnose complex performance issues in distributed systems
• Solid understanding of:
  • Microservices and distributed system design
  • API performance and service interactions
• Experience with observability and performance monitoring tools, such as:
• AppDynamics, OpenTelemetry, DBA Dash, Datadog, Prometheus, Grafana
• Experience working with engineering workflows and tracking systems such as Jira
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions

What would make you really stand out

• Experience with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, Gatling, k6, LoadRunner)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and integrating performance validation into workflows
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with advanced profiling techniques (e.g., flame graphs, heap analysis, thread dumps)
• Background in cloud cost optimization and efficiency engineering
• Experience with non-functional requirement (NFR) gathering and performance test planning

What’s in it for you

Dayforce is fueled by the diversity of our talented employees. We are an equal opportunity employer and consider and embrace ALL individuals and what makes them unique. We believe our employees should be happy and healthy, with peace of mind and a sense of fulfillment.

We encourage individuals to apply based on their passions.

Dayforce encourages personal and professional growth. We offer excellent time away from work programs, comprehensive wellness initiatives and recognition through competitive pay and benefits.

With a commitment to community impact, including volunteer days and our charity, Dayforce Cares we provide opportunities for you to thrive both in your career and personal life. Our focus is not just on your job but on supporting you to be the best version of yourself.

Please note that the salary range mentioned in this job description should serve simply as a guide. The final compensation offered may vary based on a variety of factors, including bonuses and/or incentives, or a candidate’s experience, skills, budget and location. Our company is committed to providing a fair, equitable, and competitive package that reflects the value an individual brings to the organization.

Fraudulent Recruiting

Beware of fraudulent recruiting. Legitimate Dayforce contacts will use an @dayforce.com email address. We do not request money, checks, equipment orders, or sensitive personal data during the recruitment process. If you have been asked for any of the above, or believe you have been contacted by someone posing as a Dayforce employee, please refer to our fraudulent recruiting statement found here: https://www.dayforce.com/be-aware-of-recruiting-fraud

Dayforce actively monitors all job applications to ensure authenticity. Submissions determined to be fraudulent or misleading will be declined from the recruitment process

#LI-Remote