C++ Engineer - Core Trading Systems

ZipRecruiter; City Of London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading quantitative investment firm is seeking a C++ Engineer for their Core Trading Systems. This role requires expertise in modern C++, with a focus on critical system design and low-latency optimisation. You will work closely with traders and researchers and have an immediate impact on live trading. The position allows for a collaborative, non-bureaucratic environment with uncapped compensation reflecting your contributions. Must be eligible to work in the UK without sponsorship.

Benefits

Uncapped compensation

Collaborative team environment

Immediate impact on trading

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of performance-critical programming and memory management.
• Intellectual curiosity and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimise critical components of the trading platform.
• Collaborate with traders and researchers.
• Take ownership across the full development lifecycle.

Skills

Expertise in modern C++ (C++17/20)

Strong computer science fundamentals

Experience with distributed systems

Familiarity with Python

Job description

Overview

C++ Engineer – Core Trading Systems

This role offers the opportunity to work on systems where nanoseconds matter, reliability is critical, and engineering excellence directly drives performance in global markets.

The organisation is a leading quantitative investment firm powered by research, technology, and data. Independent investment teams operate on a shared foundation: a proprietary, state-of-the-art trading platform. The Core Technology Team is responsible for building and optimising this platform, which serves as the central nervous system of the firm’s trading operations.

The C++ Engineer will work on a small team of world-class engineers, owning problems end-to-end and deploying solutions with immediate firmwide impact. The scope includes both greenfield development and scaling of existing systems, with exposure to every part of the business, from trading and research to operations and risk.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimise critical components of the trading platform, including exchange and broker connectivity, order management, feed handlers, deployment pipelines, and monitoring systems.
• Push the boundaries of modern C++ for low-latency optimisation, template metaprogramming, lock-free concurrency, and high-throughput networking.
• Collaborate closely with traders, researchers, and operations staff to translate requirements into high-impact features.
• Lead new initiatives while enhancing and scaling production systems.
• Take ownership across the full development lifecycle, including architecture, implementation, deployment, and participation in on-call rotations.

Candidate Profile

• Expertise in modern C++ (C++17/20), with deep understanding of performance-critical programming and memory management.
• Strong computer science fundamentals, including algorithms, data structures, concurrency, operating systems, and networking.
• Experience with distributed systems, low-latency environments, or other high-performance domains (finance background not required).
• Familiarity with Python is a plus.
• Intellectual curiosity, attention to detail, and a relentless drive for performance and reliability.

Value Proposition

• Immediate impact: contributions go directly into production and affect live trading.
• Small, focused team: close collaboration with senior engineers in a non-bureaucratic environment.
• Technical frontier: solving problems with no textbook answers and pushing the limits of C++ and systems engineering.
• Uncapped reward: compensation reflects talent and direct impact on firm performance.
• Global reach: opportunity to build infrastructure that powers trading across markets and asset classes worldwide.

Pre-Application

• Please do not apply if you’re looking for a contract or remote work.
• You must be eligible to live and work in the UK, without requiring sponsorship.
• Please ensure you meet the required experience section prior to applying.
• Allow 1-5 working days for a response to any job enquiry.
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