Lead Performance Engineer

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Who We Are

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever‑evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. Our global family now encompasses over 30, 000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.

Role Overview

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Lead Performance Engineer to join our growing team in Portugal. This pivotal, permanent role combines deep, hands‑on technical expertise with strategic leadership, client engagement, and mentorship. Reporting to the Principal Performance Engineer, you will safeguard and enhance the performance, scalability, and reliability of our clients' critical digital platforms.

What You’ll Be Doing

Leadership, Strategy & Client Engagement

• Act as a performance engineering consultant for key clients, building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, providing expert guidance, and confidently leading technical discussions to non‑technical audiences.
• Champion the value of performance engineering across the business, demonstrating its impact on user experience, conversion, and client ROI.
• Mentor and guide junior to mid‑level engineers, fostering a culture of performance excellence and continuous learning.
• Contribute to and implement wider performance engineering strategies, evolving practices, and tooling (e. g. , K6, Playwright, APM tools).
• Demonstrate strong AI literacy, with practical experience using generative AI (e. g. , LLMs, code‑gen tools) as a productivity multiplier for tasks such as script/data generation and analysis. Drive innovation in Performance Monitoring and Testing using AI.
• Collaborate with account and leadership teams to identify opportunities and contribute to commercial proposals.

Hands‑on & Release Activities

• Lead performance testing efforts, including workload modeling, test execution, root cause analysis, and reporting.
• Develop and present clear, actionable reports on key performance metrics (including Core Web Vitals) to both technical and business stakeholders.
• Own the configuration and maintenance of APM and observability tools (e. g. , New Relic, Data
  Dog, Dynatrace), including designing meaningful dashboards and robust alerting strategies.
• Act as the performance authority within development teams, providing expertise and oversight, particularly regarding the impact of changes on analytics and sales revenue.
• Drive the agenda for performance optimisation, introducing new testing capabilities within allocated projects.

Technical Expertise

• Programming: Strong proficiency in Java
  Script/Type
  Script is critical for new development in K6; additional languages (e. g. , Python, Java) are a plus.
• Performance Tooling: Deep, practical expertise with APM/RUM tools such as New Relic, Data
  Dog, App
  Dynamics or Dynatrace. Proficiency with modern load testing tools (K6, Playwright); experience with JMeter and Locust is valuable. Experience with K6 browser testing is a significant advantage.
• Cloud Platform Experience: Demonstrable experience on major cloud platforms (e. g. , AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Web Technologies: Solid experience with front‑end performance analysis (Core Web Vitals) and a strong grasp of platforms and architectural concepts (Next. js, Magento, SAP Hybris, Shopify).
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with an understanding of concepts such as parameterisation in performance testing.

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Communication: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to curate the right level of content for different audiences, from developers to senior leadership.
• Growth Mindset: A proactive, self‑starting attitude with the drive to push boundaries and champion best practices.
• Mentorship & Collaboration: Passion for mentoring with proven experience guiding less experienced engineers; shares knowledge proactively and collaborates across disciplines.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to connect dots between complex business challenges and technical solutions, collaborating with architects and other subject matter experts to drive results beyond a siloed approach.

Consultancy & Business Acumen

• Client Leadership: Assertive and confident approach to client engagement, capable of acting as a trusted advisor and standing ground effectively on large, complex projects.
• Commercial Mindset: Strong commercial acumen, comfortable discussing business drivers like cost and ROI, and eager to contribute to business development activities.

If You Know Some Of This, Even Better

• Deeper e
  Commerce Expertise: Proven experience in performance testing and analysis of e‑commerce applications, preferably with platforms such as IBM Web
  Sphere Commerce, SAP Hybris, Magento, or SFCC Sports.
• Broader Stack Exposure: Experience with SRE practices, caching/CDNs, containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes), or infrastructure‑as‑code (e. g. , Terraform) from a performance perspective.
• Continuous Delivery Integration: Experience implementing performance testing and performance gates in CI/CD pipelines, including test automation, environment strategy, and integration with observability tooling.
• Formal Line Management Experience: Experience managing team members with accountability for professional development, performance management, and day‑to‑day well‑being.
• Frontend Performance Analysis: Experience with front‑end page load analysis, profiling, and optimisation using tools such as Web
  Page
  Test, Page
  Speed Insights, Speed
  Curve, or sitespeed. io.

What We Can Offer You

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we empower you to make a difference, be yourself, and respect who you are. We offer a great benefits package including training opportunities, medical insurance, dental insurance, meal cards, social events, family‑friendly policies and discounts with hundreds of retailers.

Permanent Only

We offer a comprehensive benefits package and a stable, permanent role.

Our Personality and Behaviours

• Connect Meaningfully
• Inspire Creatively
• Include Purposefully
• Approach Positively

About VML Enterprise Solutions

Our Enterprise Solutions division houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects and skilled developers and operators that together help some of the world’s leading organisations deliver outstanding digital experiences across all major routes to market worldwide: marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B, and social platforms. With over 4, 200 experts in 55 operational centres across 34 countries, our capabilities span the entire buying journey from customer acquisition, through engagement, to conversion and loyalty, driving multi‑channel growth for world‑leading brands.

Equal Opportunity

WPP (VML Enterprise Solutions) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at VML Enterprise Solutions by 2x.

Seniority Level

• Mid‑Senior level

Employment Type

• Full‑time

Job Function

• Engineering and Information Technology
• IT Services and IT Consulting

Location

Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal