📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Observability - Eng Prod - Performance Engineer
Company: Elastic
Location: Portugal
Job Type: Full-time
Category: DevOps Engineer, System Administrator, Web Infrastructure
Date Posted: July 18, 2025
Experience Level: Mid-level (2-5 years)
Remote Status: On-site (Portugal)

🚀 Role Summary

Key Responsibilities: Contribute to performance evaluation frameworks, build automation tools, analyze performance characteristics, and act as a trusted advisor on software performance and scalability.
Key Skills: Python, Golang, Performance Engineering, Benchmarking, Automation, Cloud Infrastructure, Kubernetes, Data Analysis, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Analytical Mindset, Problem Solving, Optimization, VM Provisioning, Helm Charts.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role focuses on ensuring Elastic's products meet performance expectations by conducting comparative benchmarking, ad-hoc experiments, and investigations of potential bottlenecks. The ideal candidate will have experience running software in production at large scale and be comfortable working in a distributed team.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

Performance Evaluation: Contribute to performance evaluation frameworks written in Python and Golang to ensure Elastic's products meet performance expectations.
Automation & Orchestration: Build automation and orchestration tooling to facilitate testing Elastic's products at scale.
Performance Analysis: Analyze performance characteristics of Elastic's software products and propose potential areas of optimization.
Advisory Role: Act as a trusted advisor to other teams about how to build software in production with a performance-oriented mindset.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong analytical mindset, data-driven approach, and exceptional communication skills to work effectively in a distributed team and make informed decisions based on evidence and data.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Experience: 2-5 years of experience running software in production at large scale, with a focus on performance optimization and scalability.

Required Skills:

Proficiency in Python and Golang
Experience with cloud providers (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
Familiarity with basic cloud infrastructure tasks and Kubernetes
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Excellent communication and collaboration skills

Preferred Skills:

Experience with performance benchmarking tools and methodologies
Familiarity with Elastic's products and ecosystem
Knowledge of software architecture and design patterns

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should have a proven track record of delivering high-quality, performant software in production environments and be comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Include projects that demonstrate your ability to analyze and optimize software performance
Showcase your proficiency in Python, Golang, and cloud infrastructure tools
Highlight your experience with Kubernetes and Helm charts
Provide examples of your problem-solving skills and ability to work in a distributed team

Technical Documentation:

Include code comments and documentation that explain your thought process and decision-making
Showcase your ability to write clear and concise technical documentation
Provide examples of your experience with version control, deployment processes, and server configuration

📝 Enhancement Note: Your portfolio should demonstrate your ability to work effectively in a team and communicate complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: €45,000 - €65,000 per year (based on experience and location)

Benefits:

Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
Ability to craft your calendar with flexible locations and schedules for many roles
Generous number of vacation days each year
Increase your impact - Elastic matches up to €2,000 for financial donations and service
Up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects you love
Embracing parenthood with minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave

Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week) with flexible scheduling and remote work options for some roles

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic offers competitive compensation and benefits packages that prioritize the well-being and work-life balance of their employees.

🎯 Team & Company Context

Company Culture: Elastic is a distributed, global company that values diversity, inclusion, and work-life balance. They strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all individuals.

Industry: Elastic operates in the search and AI technology sector, providing search, security, and observability solutions to businesses and organizations worldwide.

Company Size: Medium-sized company (approx. 10,000 employees) with a strong focus on innovation and growth.

Founded: 2012, with headquarters in Mountain View, California, USA.

Team Structure:

The Performance Engineering team is part of the Engineering Productivity organization, which focuses on improving the development experience and ensuring the quality and performance of Elastic's products.
The team consists of experienced software engineers who work closely with other teams to identify and address performance bottlenecks and optimize software performance.

Development Methodology:

Elastic follows Agile methodologies, with a focus on continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous improvement.
The team uses Git for version control, Jira for project management, and various other tools for code review, testing, and deployment.

Company Website: Elastic

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic's culture values collaboration, innovation, and a customer-centric approach to software development. The company encourages its employees to take ownership of their work and contribute to the success of the organization as a whole.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Web Technology Career Level: Mid-level Performance Engineer, responsible for contributing to performance evaluation frameworks, building automation tools, and analyzing performance characteristics of Elastic's software products.

Reporting Structure: This role reports to the Engineering Manager of the Performance Engineering team within the Engineering Productivity organization.

Technical Impact: This role has a significant impact on the performance, scalability, and user experience of Elastic's products. The ideal candidate will be able to identify and address performance bottlenecks, optimize software performance, and provide technical guidance to other teams.

Growth Opportunities:

Technical Growth: Deepen your expertise in performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization techniques. Contribute to the development of Elastic's performance evaluation frameworks and automation tools.
Leadership Growth: Develop your leadership skills by mentoring other team members, contributing to technical decision-making, and driving the adoption of best practices in performance engineering.
Career Progression: As you gain experience and demonstrate your ability to deliver high-quality, performant software, you may have the opportunity to take on more complex projects, lead teams, or move into a technical leadership role.

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic values internal mobility and encourages employees to explore different roles and teams within the organization. This role offers numerous opportunities for growth and development in the field of performance engineering.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Elastic has a distributed work environment, with employees working remotely or from one of their global offices.

Office Location(s): Elastic has offices in multiple locations worldwide, including Mountain View, California, USA; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Singapore.

Workspace Context:

Remote Work: Elastic offers flexible remote work arrangements, allowing employees to work from home or a co-working space if preferred.
Office Amenities: Elastic's offices provide modern workspaces with state-of-the-art equipment, comfortable seating, and collaborative workspaces.
Team Interaction: Elastic's distributed work environment encourages regular communication and collaboration between team members, regardless of location.

Work Schedule: Elastic offers flexible scheduling and remote work options for many roles, allowing employees to balance their work and personal lives effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic's distributed work environment fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and work-life balance. The company provides employees with the tools and resources they need to succeed in their roles and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

Phone Screen: A brief phone call to discuss your experience, skills, and career goals.
Technical Challenge: A take-home assignment or live coding challenge to assess your technical skills and problem-solving abilities.
Architecture Review: A discussion of your architecture and design decisions for a previous project, focusing on performance optimization and scalability.
Final Interview: A conversation with the hiring manager and other team members to assess your cultural fit, communication skills, and alignment with Elastic's values and mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Highlight your experience with performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization techniques.
Showcase your ability to work effectively in a distributed team and communicate complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.
Include examples of your problem-solving skills and ability to identify and address performance bottlenecks.

Technical Challenge Preparation:

Brush up on your Python and Golang skills, with a focus on performance optimization and benchmarking techniques.
Familiarize yourself with Elastic's products and ecosystem, as well as the performance engineering tools and methodologies used by the team.
Practice explaining technical concepts clearly and concisely, and be prepared to discuss your thought process and decision-making.

ATS Keywords:

Programming Languages: Python, Golang, JavaScript, HTML, CSS
Web Frameworks: Elastic Stack, Kibana, Beats
Server Technologies: Elasticsearch, Elastic Cloud, Elasticsearch Service
Databases: Elasticsearch, Elastic Cloud, Elasticsearch Service
Tools: Git, Jira, Docker, Kubernetes, Helm, AWS, GCP, Azure
Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, CI/CD, DevOps
Soft Skills: Communication, Collaboration, Problem-solving, Analytical, Data-driven
Industry Terms: Performance Engineering, Benchmarking, Optimization, Scalability, Observability, Cloud Infrastructure, Kubernetes

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic's interview process focuses on assessing your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit. The company values candidates who are passionate about performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization techniques and are eager to contribute to the success of their products.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Frontend Technologies:

Elastic's products, including Elasticsearch, Kibana, and Beats, are built using a variety of frontend technologies, including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
Elastic's user interfaces are designed to be intuitive, responsive, and accessible, with a focus on performance optimization and user experience.

Backend & Server Technologies:

Elasticsearch: Elastic's flagship product, a distributed, open-source search and analytics engine designed for use cases ranging from application search to real-time analytics, from logging to security, and from enterprise search to dev tools.
Elastic Cloud: A fully-managed Elasticsearch service, offering Elasticsearch as a cloud-based solution with built-in security, scalability, and high availability.
Elasticsearch Service: A cloud-based search service built on Elasticsearch, providing easy-to-use, scalable, and secure search capabilities for web and mobile applications.

Development & DevOps Tools:

Git: A distributed version control system that enables multiple developers to work together on non-linear projects.
Jira: A project management tool used by Elastic to track issues, bugs, and feature requests, as well as to plan and manage projects and product releases.
Docker: A platform for developing, shipping, and running applications using containerization.
Kubernetes: An open-source platform for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Helm: A package manager for Kubernetes that makes it easy to find, share, and use software built for Kubernetes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic's technology stack is designed to be modular, extensible, and highly performant. The company's products are built using a combination of open-source and proprietary technologies, with a focus on scalability, security, and user experience.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Web Development Values:

Performance: Elastic values performance in all aspects of its products and services, from search and analytics to user interfaces and user experience.
Scalability: Elastic's products are designed to scale horizontally and vertically, handling large volumes of data and traffic with ease.
Security: Elastic prioritizes the security of its products and services, ensuring the privacy and protection of user data.
User Experience: Elastic's user interfaces are designed to be intuitive, responsive, and accessible, with a focus on performance optimization and user experience.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-functional Integration: Elastic's teams work closely together, with regular communication and collaboration between developers, designers, and stakeholders.
Code Review Culture: Elastic values code review as a critical component of the development process, ensuring code quality, knowledge sharing, and collective code ownership.
Knowledge Sharing: Elastic encourages its employees to share their knowledge and expertise with others, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic's culture values collaboration, innovation, and a customer-centric approach to software development. The company encourages its employees to take ownership of their work and contribute to the success of the organization as a whole.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

Performance Optimization: Identify and address performance bottlenecks in Elastic's software products, optimizing code, algorithms, and data structures for improved performance and scalability.
Scalability: Design and implement scalable solutions that can handle large volumes of data and traffic, ensuring the performance and availability of Elastic's products and services.
Security: Ensure the privacy and protection of user data, implementing secure coding practices, access controls, and data encryption techniques.
User Experience: Design and implement intuitive, responsive, and accessible user interfaces, with a focus on performance optimization and user experience.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Technical Skill Development: Deepen your expertise in performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization techniques, as well as Elastic's products and ecosystem.
Conference Attendance: Attend industry conferences and events to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization.
Technical Mentorship: Seek out mentorship opportunities from experienced team members, learning from their expertise and gaining insights into their thought processes and decision-making.

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic's performance engineering team faces numerous technical challenges, from optimizing code and algorithms to designing and implementing scalable solutions. The team values candidates who are passionate about performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization techniques and are eager to contribute to the success of their products.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

Performance Optimization: Describe your experience with performance optimization and benchmarking techniques, and how you have applied them in previous roles.
Scalability: Explain your approach to designing and implementing scalable solutions, and how you have ensured the performance and availability of software products in production environments.
Security: Discuss your experience with secure coding practices, access controls, and data encryption techniques, and how you have ensured the privacy and protection of user data in previous roles.

Company & Culture Questions:

Company Culture: Explain what you understand about Elastic's company culture and how you think you would fit in with the team.
Team Dynamics: Describe your experience working in a distributed team and how you have collaborated effectively with team members in different locations and time zones.
Problem-solving: Provide an example of a complex technical challenge you faced in a previous role and how you approached it, highlighting your problem-solving skills and ability to work effectively in a team.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Performance Optimization: Highlight your experience with performance optimization and benchmarking techniques, and provide examples of how you have improved the performance and scalability of software products in previous roles.
Scalability: Showcase your approach to designing and implementing scalable solutions, and provide examples of how you have ensured the performance and availability of software products in production environments.
Security: Demonstrate your experience with secure coding practices, access controls, and data encryption techniques, and provide examples of how you have ensured the privacy and protection of user data in previous roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: Elastic's interview process focuses on assessing your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit. The company values candidates who are passionate about performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization techniques and are eager to contribute to the success of their products.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this performance engineering role at Elastic:

Update Your Resume: Highlight your experience with performance engineering, benchmarking, and optimization techniques, as well as your proficiency in Python, Golang, and cloud infrastructure tools.
Prepare Your Portfolio: Showcase your experience with performance optimization and benchmarking techniques, as well as your ability to work effectively in a distributed team and communicate complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.
Practice Technical Challenges: Brush up on your Python and Golang skills, with a focus on performance optimization and benchmarking techniques. Familiarize yourself with Elastic's products and ecosystem, as well as the performance engineering tools and methodologies used by the team.
Research Elastic: Learn about Elastic's products, company culture, and values, and prepare thoughtful questions to ask during the interview process.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and web technology industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

Observability - Eng Prod - Performance Engineer