KDB Lead

ING; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in Greater London is seeking a KDB Technical Lead to drive the technical vision for the KDB data platform. This role demands extensive experience in KDB/q development and robust knowledge of low-latency systems. The incumbent will define the technical roadmap, ensure reliability and scalability, and collaborate with both internal teams and external partners. Exceptional growth opportunities are available within the financial markets technology ecosystem, making it ideal for a proactive tech leader.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in KDB/q development and platform architecture with performance optimization.
• Understanding of systems for electronic trading environments.
• Experience with Agile delivery models.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical roadmap for the KDB platform.
• Ensure platform reliability and performance.
• Collaborate to deliver high-quality data solutions.

Skills

KDB / q development

Low-latency systems

Data modelling

Agile delivery

Analytical mindset

Ownership mentality

Tools

Python

KX Dashboards

Job description

Department Overview

The Financial Markets (FM) landscape is rapidly going through a process of digitisation at the core of which is eTrading. eTrading at ING covers all products traded in ING FM. These span from the very liquid and electronic products (cash equities futures commodities and FX) Fixed Income products (corporate and government bonds) which are in the process of becoming electronic due to balance sheet reduction and regulation to the less liquid and less electronic derivative products. Data is core to eTrading and eTrading also covers the data and business intelligence strategy.

Main Duties and Responsibilities of Role

As the KDB Technical Lead you will own the technical vision and delivery of the KDB data platform ensuring it remains robust high-performing and aligned with business needs.

• Defining and driving the technical roadmap for the platform to support evolving stakeholder requirements.
• Ensuring platform reliability and scalability implementing best practices for performance and resilience.
• Collaborating with internal teams and external partners to design and deliver high-quality fit-for-purpose data solutions.
• Providing technical leadership and guidance fostering innovation and continuous improvement across the platform.

Career Potential

This role provides exceptional opportunities for professional growth within INGs Financial Markets technology ecosystem. You will :

• Shape strategic data initiatives that influence global trading and analytics capabilities.
• Develop leadership and technical expertise positioning yourself for senior roles in data engineering and platform architecture.
• Collaborate across global teams gaining exposure to diverse markets cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions.

Experience / Knowledge

Essential

• Extensive experience in KDB / q development and platform architecture including performance tuning and optimization.
• Deep understanding of low-latency high-availability systems for electronic trading environments.
• Strong knowledge of data modelling cleansing and validation processes within time-series and tick data contexts.
• Ability to manage relationships with upstream and downstream data stakeholders ensuring smooth data flows and integration.
• Proven experience in Agile delivery models with a collaborative and iterative approach to solution design.

Desirable

• Familiarity with data visualization tools such as KX Dashboards or similar BI platforms.
• Working knowledge of Python and other data interfaces enabling integration and automation beyond q.
• Exposure to cloud-based architectures or containerization for KDB deployments.
• Experience with monitoring and alerting frameworks for real-time data platforms.

Personal Competencies

Essential

• Strong problem-solving and analytical mindset with the ability to tackle complex technical challenges.
• Hands-on mentality comfortable taking ownership and driving initiatives to completion.
• Calm under pressure maintaining focus and clarity in high-stakes environments.
• Ability to work independently and lead technical initiatives with minimal supervision.
• Creative thinker with a passion for technology continuously seeking innovative solutions.
• Proactive and driven always striving to improve performance and efficiency.
• Challenger of the status quo committed to finding better ways of working.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills fostering trust and collaboration.
• Genuine team player promoting knowledge sharing and cross-team cooperation.

Desirable

• Customer and product focus ensuring solutions deliver real business value.
• Clear concise and transparent communicator able to articulate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Global mindset comfortable working across diverse teams and cultures.
• Agile Way of Working.

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Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: years

Vacancy: 1