How To Become A Performance Test Lead: What It Is and Career Path

What is a performance test lead and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A performance test lead is a skilled professional who is in charge of all aspects of testing activities in a system. They lead a team of engineers in the design, implementation, and support of performance testing systems and strategies. They handle all aspects of testing such as analysis, planning, performance, automation, and user acceptance, with the ultimate objective of ensuring applications perform at their optimal.

A performance test lead works closely with other professionals such as software engineers, designers, quality assurance, quality control staff, and project managers to efficiently execute their roles. A successful performance test lead should have the relevant technical skills, knowledge of programming languages, analytical skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and interpersonal skills.

A performance test lead typically works 40 hours a week Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. They mostly work in an office setting. They may work extra hours and over the weekend in instances where they need to complete urgent projects.

ScorePerformance Test LeadUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $96,573

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 32.46%

male 67.54%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a performance test lead

Explore performance test lead education requirements

Most common performance test lead degrees

Bachelor's

64.3 %

Master's

20.0 %

Associate

7.3 %

Start to develop specific performance test lead skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	6.72%
Provide Management	5.56%
Test Scenarios	4.89%
Web Services	4.79%
C #	4.66%

Complete relevant performance test lead training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New performance test leads learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a performance test lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real performance test lead resumes.

Research performance test lead duties and responsibilities

Used python to automate post processing performance results and debugging logs.
Coordinate QA team meetings, one-on-one sessions, address concerns, and work with India offshore team daily through scrum.
Identify the exceptions observe during the test run via Splunk.
Develop customized JAVA tool to load 1Million records into the database.

Get performance test lead experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a performance test lead. The most common roles before becoming a performance test lead include performance test engineer, performance tester team lead and quality assurance lead.

Prepare your performance test lead resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your performance test lead resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a performance test lead resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable performance test lead resume templates

Build a professional performance test lead resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your performance test lead resume.

Apply for performance test lead jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a performance test lead job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do performance test leads rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Performance test lead reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020

Pros

I like testing because it can be interesting. Things can change but also stay the same. I like routine but not repetition doing the same thing. Testing isn't the best job but a good job.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Cons

Low pay structure as compared to the efforts put in.