Chief Technology Officer

Wellesley; London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial market infrastructure firm in London seeks a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the development of a digital asset trading platform. The role involves building a high-performance engineering team, overseeing system architecture, and ensuring compliance in a rapidly evolving environment. Ideal candidates will possess extensive engineering leadership experience, particularly in trading systems, and understand regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as CTO or Head of Engineering in high-frequency trading or exchanges.
• Hands-on leadership capable of blending strategy with technical depth.

Responsibilities

• Build and scale high-performance engineering team across multiple domains.
• Oversee trading system architecture focusing on latency and reliability.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards while maintaining system performance.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Technical communication

Security principles

High-performance team building

Education

15+ years of engineering experience

Tools

C++

Kernel bypass networking

PTP

NUMA

DPDK

Job description

Our client is a well-capitalized, regulated financial market infrastructure firm, preparing for the launch of an institutional-grade digital asset trading and clearing venue. With a focus on supporting high-frequency trading strategies and a zero-tolerance approach to latency and downtime, the firm is building a next-generation exchange platform engineered for speed, scale, and security.

We are seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to drive the technical vision and execution of this critical infrastructure. This role offers a rare opportunity to build from the ground up — in a regulated environment — while applying cutting-edge engineering principles to meet the demands of some of the world’s most sophisticated trading participants.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and scale a high-performance engineering team across infrastructure, software, DevOps, and cybersecurity.
• Architect for determinism: tight latency budgets, real-time observability, and synchronized timekeeping (e.g., PTP).
• Oversee development of client connectivity layers including native protocols and FIX gateways optimized for sub-microsecond response.
• Ensure robust pre-trade and post-trade risk controls are embedded without compromising latency or throughput.
• Drive integration with third-party clearing services and custodians, enabling real-time netting, margining, and settlement.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards while retaining HFT-ready performance (e.g., MiFID II, RTS 6/25).
• Champion secure-by-design principles across all layers — application, infrastructure, and data.
• Serve as a key technical spokesperson to investors, regulators, and strategic partners.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 15+ years of engineering leadership experience, including CTO/Head of Engineering roles in trading, exchange, or HFT environments.
• Deep technical understanding of trading system designs — from C++ matching engines to kernel bypass networking, PTP, NUMA, DPDK, etc.
• Proven experience architecting and scaling trading systems capable of handling millions of messages per second with nanosecond/microsecond response times.
• Exposure to digital assets, derivatives, or clearinghouse integrations is a plus — but not required.
• Experience operating in regulated markets (FCA, SEC, CFTC, etc.) with a focus on compliance-driven engineering.
• Hands-on leadership style — able to move between strategy and technical depth.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to represent technology at board and regulatory level.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Executive

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Information Technology

• Industries

  Financial Services and Investment Management

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Wellesley by 2x

Get notified about new Chief Technology Officer jobs in London Area, United Kingdom.

London Area, United Kingdom £150,000.00-£200,000.00 2 hours ago

London, England, United Kingdom 3 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 3 days ago

Field Chief Information Security Officer - International

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom $70,000.00-$100,000.00 1 month ago

Volunteer SW London Learning Disabilities charity seeks trustees with finance and/or marketing backgrounds | Balance (Support) CIO

Kingston Upon Thames, England, United Kingdom 1 day ago

Associate Vice President – Technical Innovation

Orpington, England, United Kingdom 2 hours ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

Reporting and Metrics Manager – IT Asset and Lifecycle Management, Vice President

London, England, United Kingdom 4 hours ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

Vice President, HR Solutions Process Excellence Consultant (Global - Location Agnostic)

London, England, United Kingdom 1 day ago

Lead Solutions Analyst - Tech Program Delivery - Margin and Collateral Tech - Vice President

London, England, United Kingdom 2 days ago

Investment Banking - M&A Tech Vice President - London

London, England, United Kingdom 2 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 6 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 days ago

Vice President of Data Center Engineering

Senior Vice President, Talent and Brand Partnerships

Vice President: International Treasury Analytics

Senior Vice President of Sales - Analytics

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

Liquidity & ALM, International Treasury, Vice President

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

Private Wealth, International Client Solutions, Vice President/Principal

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

Aladdin Client Experience – Client Success Specialist, Vice President

Assistant Vice President, Global HR Solutions Process Excellence Consultant, 12 Month FTC (Global - Location Agnostic)

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

Vice President, Leasing - JD Property (JDP)

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

Executive Vice President, Debit, Prepaid, and Sustainability Products-R-247756

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

Specialized eFX AI Trading Quant, Vice President

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.