As the recognized global standard for project-based businesses, Deltek delivers software and information solutions to help organizations achieve their purpose. Our market leadership stems from the work of our diverse employees who are united by a passion for learning, growing and making a difference.
At Deltek, we take immense pride in creating a balanced, values-driven environment, where every employee feels included and empowered to do their best work. Our employees put our core values into action daily, creating a one-of-a-kind culture that has been recognized globally. Thanks to our incredible team, Deltek has been named one of America's Best Midsize Employers by Forbes, a Best Place to Work by Glassdoor, a Top Workplace by The Washington Post and a Best Place to Work in Asia by World HRD Congress. www.deltek.com
Business Summary
The Deltek Engineering and Technology team builds best-in-class solutions to delight customers and meet their business needs. We are laser-focused on software design, development, innovation and quality. Our team of experts has the talent, skills and values to deliver products and services that are easy to use, reliable, sustainable and competitive. If you're looking for a safe environment where ideas are welcome, growth is supported and questions are encouraged – consider joining us as we explore the limitless opportunities of the software industry.
Position Responsibilities
Deltek is looking for a Principal Performance Engineer to join our team. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role focused on ensuring our products meet the highest performance and scalability standards across database, API, and application layers. You will work alongside cross-functional engineering teams, collaborating closely across development, QE, DBA, and architecture to deliver consistent, high-quality performance outcomes across every release. This role does not require active software development, but you must be comfortable participating in technical code discussions and translating application-level decisions into performance implications.
Performance Triage & Cross-Team Collaboration-
Work closely with cross-functional engineering teams to triage and investigate performance across release cycles
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Partner with development, QE, and DBA teams to reproduce, diagnose, and validate performance findings
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Participate in performance triage discussions and contribute analysis findings to inform release decisions
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Support the team in prioritizing and tracking performance activities through to completion
Performance Investigation & Remediation-
Own hands-on performance investigations end-to-end — from initial triage through root cause analysis to validated fix
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Perform SQL Server performance tuning, including execution plan analysis, index strategy, deadlock resolution, and wait statistics analysis
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Use Query Store to track, compare, and prevent performance regressions across releases
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Conduct performance analysis on production environments and customer-reported performance observations
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Validate performance improvements through benchmarking and before/after metrics
Release & Regression Support-
Partner with engineering teams during sprint cycles to identify and address performance risks before they reach production
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Support performance certification of features across active release versions
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Contribute to performance baselines and regression detection processes
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Assist in load and stress testing activities to validate system behavior under expected and peak load conditions
Collaboration & Communication-
Work closely with the Principal Performance Architect, Development, QE, DBA, and Architecture teams
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Participate in design and architecture reviews to flag potential performance risks early
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Communicate performance findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders using evidence-based reporting
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Document performance investigation findings, root causes, and recommendations for team reference
AI-First Performance Engineering-
Apply AI tools to accelerate performance analysis, pattern detection, and root cause investigation
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Use AI to assist in analyzing execution plans, logs, and diagnostic data
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Validate AI-generated insights empirically before applying recommendations
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Continuously explore and adopt AI-assisted workflows to improve diagnostic efficiency
Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS
Must-Have Technical Skills-
Deep, hands-on SQL Server performance tuning experience, including:
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Execution plan analysis (SSMS / Azure Data Studio)
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Query Store usage for regression analysis
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Deadlock and blocking diagnosis and resolution
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Wait statistics and lock contention analysis
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Index design, statistics tuning, and fragmentation management
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Parameter sniffing and plan cache behavior
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Hands-on application performance tuning experience, including API performance analysis, memory and thread diagnostics, and identifying bottlenecks across multi-tier application architectures
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Experience with cloud performance monitoring and tuning, including resource optimization, scalability validation, and performance observability in cloud environments (Azure preferred)
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Experience in independently diagnosing database-side, application-side, and cloud-side performance findings without deferring to other teams
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Experience with APM and observability tools (e.g., Dynatrace, AppDynamics, Azure Monitor, or equivalent)
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Familiarity with application architecture concepts, including APIs, microservices, and multi-tier systems — sufficient to follow and contribute to technical discussions
Experience & Background-
7–10 years of total IT experience with at least 4–5 years focused on performance engineering
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Demonstrated ownership of performance investigations in enterprise or SaaS environments
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Experience working across multiple concurrent releases or product versions
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Exposure to cloud environments
AI-First Mindset (Required)-
Actively uses AI tools to support performance diagnostics and analysis
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Treats AI as a co-analyst — validates outputs empirically rather than applying blindly
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Continuously looks for opportunities to integrate AI into performance engineering workflows
Nice to Have-
Experience with .NET or Java application performance diagnostics
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Familiarity with ERP or project-based SaaS products
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Experience with reporting performance (SSRS or equivalent)
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Azure cloud certifications
Career Interests
Engineering
Applicant Privacy Notice
Deltek is committed to the protection and promotion of your privacy. In connection with your application for employment with us at Deltek, it is necessary for us to collect, store and use information about you (“Personal Data”) to administer and evaluate your application. We are the “controller” of the Personal Data you provide us and will process any such Personal Data in accordance with applicable law and the statements contained in this Employment Candidate Privacy Notice. Additionally, we have not sold and do not sell Personal Data you provide to us through the job application process.
