Application Support Specialist

Harvey Nash Group; London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in Global Markets is seeking a Front Office Infrastructure & Application Support Specialist. This role involves supporting traders and enhancing the stability of market-facing applications, requiring expertise in various technical areas, operational support, and solid communication skills. Candidates should possess a degree and several years of experience in financial markets' application support.

Qualifications

• 3-7 years of relevant experience in Application Support or Infrastructure roles in Investment Banking.
• Familiarity with ITIL practices.
• Strong problem-solving skills under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Provide Level 1.5 / Level 2 support for trading applications.
• Monitor critical systems and ensure incident resolution.
• Drive process improvements for monitoring and release management.

Skills

Windows Server administration

Linux administration

Middleware management (Tomcat, MQ, Kafka)

Cloud exposure (AWS, Azure)

Scripting (PowerShell, Bash)

Monitoring Tools (Dynatrace, Splunk)

Networking knowledge

Financial instruments understanding

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering

Tools

CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI)

Job description

Front Office Infrastructure & Application Support Specialist

Business Area:

Global Markets - Front Office Production Support
(Global Banking & Markets / Corporate & Institutional Banking)

Job Type:
Mission:

As part of the Front Office Support team, you will provide technical and functional support to traders, sales, and quantitative teams. You will ensure the availability, performance, and resilience of market-facing applications and the underlying infrastructure.
You will work in close collaboration with development teams, infrastructure teams, and vendors to resolve incidents and improve production stability.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Support:
* Provide Level 1.5 / Level 2 support for Front Office trading applications, market data platforms, and market connectivity.
* Ensure incident resolution within agreed SLA/SLOs.
* Monitor critical systems using tools like Dynatrace, Splunk, Zabbix, etc.
* Perform daily health checks, deployments, and recovery procedures.

Incident & Problem Management:
* Take ownership of incidents, coordinate resolution across IT teams and vendors.
* Conduct post-incident reviews (PIRs) and contribute to problem management.
* Write and maintain runbooks, SOPs, and technical documentation.

Infrastructure Management & Automation:
* Perform system administration tasks on Windows and Linux servers (basic).
* Manage and troubleshoot middleware (Tomcat, MQ, Kafka).
* Automate recurring tasks using PowerShell, Bash, or Python scripts.
* Contribute to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) initiatives using Terraform, Ansible.
Business/Market Knowledge:
* Understand Front Office processes and market data flows.
* Support trading desks during market hours (Equities, FX, Rates, Derivatives).

Continuous Improvement:
* Drive process improvements in monitoring, alerting, and release management.
* Collaborate on the move toward Cloud (AWS / Azure / Private Cloud) and DevOps practices.

Key Skills and Experience Required:

Technical Expertise:
* Windows Server & Linux administration (basic to intermediate).
* Middleware: Tomcat, MQ Series, Kafka.
* Databases: Oracle, MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL (SQL basics).
* Cloud exposure (AWS, Azure, or private cloud environments).
* Scripting: PowerShell, Bash (Python is a plus).
* Monitoring: Dynatrace, Splunk, Zabbix, Grafana.
* Familiarity with networks and market connectivity (FIX protocol, Bloomberg, Reuters).

Application & Market Knowledge:
* Previous experience supporting trading platforms (Murex, Sophis, Calypso, or in-house platforms).
* Understanding of financial instruments: Equities, FX, Rates, Derivatives.
* Market data feed experience (Bloomberg, Reuters, ICE) is a strong plus.

Processes & Tools:
* ITIL: Incident, Change, and Problem Management.
* CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, etc.).
* Familiarity with Agile / DevOps environments.

Soft Skills:
* Strong problem-solving mindset and ability to work under pressure.
* Excellent communication skills in English (French is a plus).
* Ability to interact with Front Office users (traders, sales, quants).

⸻

Qualifications:
* Bachelor's/Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields.
* 3-7 years of relevant experience in Application Support, Production Support, or Infrastructure roles in Investment Banking / Financial Markets.

⸻

Working Hours & On-call:
* Support coverage during market hours (7 am - 7 pm rotating shifts).
* On-call rotation (24/7) for critical incident support.