Performance Test Engineer - Defence & Security

Locations: Bristol, Manchester, or Leeds (hybrid working model)
Salary: -55,000 - -80,000 per annum (depending on experience & clearance level)
Security Requirement: Active UK SC or DV clearance

Role Overview

Join a dynamic Technology & Transformation team working on critical Defence & Security programmes. As a Performance Test Engineer, you''ll support assurance and reliability of complex systems at scale-ensuring performance, resilience, and user satisfaction across mission-critical services.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and analyse performance test scenarios for large-scale enterprise systems.
• Work closely with software engineers, operations teams, and stakeholders to define performance requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Lead or support performance testing in Agile delivery environments alongside DevOps, QA, and delivery teams.
• Identify performance bottlenecks, provide actionable insights, and collaborate with technical teams to implement optimisations.
• Advise on load testing tools and frameworks, simulate realistic production-like loads, and build out continuous testing capabilities.
• Communicate performance findings effectively to both technical and leadership audiences.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Active Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) clearance required prior to starting.
• Proven track record in performance testing within regulated or public sector projects, ideally Defence-related.
• Technical expertise with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner, Gatling) and monitoring platforms.
• Good understanding of cloud-based architectures, API technologies, CI/CD pipelines, and performance engineering best practices.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills to bridge the gap between technical teams and product or service owners.
• Strong analytical and diagnostic capabilities, with a focus on quality and operational reliability.

What''s On Offer

• Competitive salary: -55k - -80k, reflective of experience and clearance level.
• Flexible hybrid working-company-supported presence across designated office cities with remote working options.
• Opportunity to work on high-impact Defence & Security technology programmes.
• Professional growth through collaboration with senior engineers, performance architects, and transformation leaders.

People Source Consulting Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy. People Source specialise in technology recruitment across niche markets including Information Technology, Digital TV, Digital Marketing, Project and Programme Management, SAP, Digital and Consumer Electronics, Air Traffic Management, Management Consultancy, Business Intelligence, Manufacturing, Telecoms, Public Sector, Healthcare, Finance and Oil & Gas.