Software Engineer – Trading Platforms (Contract)

Location: London, United Kingdom (On-site)
Contract Type: PAYE
Start Date: ASAP
Contract Duration: Until end of 2026

Overview
An experienced Senior C Software Engineer is required to join a high-performing engineering team responsible for developing and maintaining a global derivatives algorithmic trading platform.
In this role, you will collaborate closely with traders, quantitative analysts, and technologists to design, develop, and optimise proprietary trading systems that deliver high performance, reliability, and low-latency execution across global markets.
The platform spans the full trading technology stack, including exchange connectivity, trading engines, and shared infrastructure components, supporting rapid development and efficient trading operations.

Key Responsibilities
Exchange Connectivity & Market Data

• Develop and maintain software that communicates directly with global trading exchanges, handling both market data ingestion and order execution.
• Implement connectivity using exchange APIs and industry protocols such as FIX, WebSocket, and HTTP-based interfaces.
• Ensure high code quality through the use of automated testing frameworks, maintaining and expanding test coverage where required.
• Optimise network communication performance, including techniques such as:
  • Kernel bypass
  • TLS optimisation
  • Connection management improvements
• Analyse and understand exchange behaviour to ensure trading systems interact with venues efficiently and reliably.
• Implement solutions using exchange SDKs and multiple programming languages including C , Rust, Python, and TypeScript.

Trading Systems & Algorithm Development

• Develop and implement algorithmic trading strategies based on requirements from traders and quantitative analysts.
• Build a strong understanding of trading concepts to translate business and quantitative requirements into robust software solutions.
• Continuously enhance the stability, reliability, and performance of the trading engine.
• Improve system monitoring and observability in collaboration with trading operations teams.
• Investigate and resolve production issues including:
  • Application crashes
  • Performance bottlenecks
  • Unexpected behaviour in trading logic
• Support release preparation and deployment of new trading platform versions.

Required Skills & Experience
Technical Expertise

• 5 years of professional C development experience within financial services or trading environments.
• Strong knowledge of parallel, asynchronous, and multi-threaded programming in distributed systems.
• Solid understanding of algorithms and data structures.
• Experience developing high-performance, low-latency systems.
• Proficiency in scripting or additional programming languages such as:
  • Python
  • PowerShell
  • C#
  • SQL
  • Other relevant languages
• Experience with application deployment best practices and production environments.
• Strong troubleshooting and system monitoring capabilities, with ownership of reliability improvements.

Trading Domain Knowledge

• Understanding of global futures exchanges and their native protocols.
• Knowledge of the exchange-traded derivatives lifecycle, including:
  • Order capture and execution
  • Allocation workflows
  • Settlement processes
  • Regulatory and compliance considerations
• Experience within trading, capital markets, or investment banking environments (typically 8 years industry exposure).

Professional Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capability to interpret complex datasets and deliver innovative technical solutions.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with traders, engineers, and business stakeholders.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced trading environments with changing priorities.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and adaptable with a positive, solutions-focused approach.
• Ability to deliver results under tight timelines and demanding operational conditions.

Working Environment
This role operates within a trading technology environment, supporting mission-critical systems used in global financial markets. The position requires close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams in an on-site setting in London.
 


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