Market Access Platform Lead

Selby Jennings; Greater London; On-site; GBP 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Selby Jennings is representing a premier global hedge fund seeking a Market Access Platform Lead to own a critical technology function supporting front-office trading worldwide.

You will lead a large team of engineers, shape the platform strategy, and collaborate with traders and senior stakeholders to deliver robust, scalable, and reliable market access solutions. This role offers high visibility and significant impact.

Qualifications

• Experience leading market access, market data, or low-latency trading teams.
• Strong people management of managers and sizeable engineering organisations.
• Deep understanding of market access platforms, market data ecosystems, exchange connectivity, and trading infrastructure.
• Track record of driving improvements in reliability, observability, automation, and operational excellence.
• Experience operating within a hedge fund, tier-one investment bank, electronic trading firm, market maker, or comparable high-performance environment.
• Exceptional communication skills with traders, portfolio managers, and senior technology leaders.
• Strong strategic thinking coupled with a hands-on, delivery-focused mindset.
• Experience building and scaling high-performing engineering teams.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across technology and business functions.
• Commercial awareness and understanding of how technology impacts trading performance and business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and grow a team of ~17 engineers across the Market Access Platform organisation.
• Define and execute the long-term strategy for the firm's global Market Access Platform.
• Improve market data reliability, quality, scalability, and operational resilience across critical trading environments.
• Drive automation, observability, testing, and platform modernisation initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce operational risk.
• Partner directly with traders, desk leads, and senior technology stakeholders to deliver business-critical solutions.
• Oversee exchange connectivity, market data, and vendor‑driven technology enhancements supporting trading growth.
• Establish clear ownership models, governance frameworks, and engineering best practices.
• Develop leadership capability within the team, mentoring managers and senior engineers.
• Deliver strategic platform improvements that enhance performance, stability, and scalability.
• Act as a key technology partner to the business, ensuring the platform continues to support evolving trading strategies and future growth.

Skills

Market access

People leadership

Stakeholder management

Trading infrastructure

Low-latency systems

Automation & observability

Job description

Our client is an exceptional global hedge fund seeking a Market Access Platform Lead to take ownership of one of the most business-critical and visible technology functions within the firm. Widely regarded as a leader in its field, the organisation combines elite investment talent with world-class engineering, operating in an environment where technology is a genuine competitive advantage. As part of significant ongoing investment in its trading infrastructure, they are looking for a Market Access Platform Lead to shape the future of their global Market Access Platform, driving the performance, reliability, and scalability of the technology that underpins front-office trading activity worldwide. This is a rare opportunity to join a top-tier hedge fund and lead a high-impact Market Access Platform team at the intersection of trading, technology, and strategy.

They are looking for a Market Access Platform Lead who thrives on ownership, enjoys solving complex challenges, and can inspire high-performing teams to deliver exceptional results. The ideal Market Access Platform Lead will bring a blend of technical credibility, strong people leadership, and outstanding stakeholder management skills. This role is equally suited to someone who enjoys mentoring and developing talent as it is to someone who wants to influence platform strategy and work directly with traders and senior business stakeholders. Leading a large team of talented engineers, this Market Access Platform Lead will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact while positioning themselves for future progression into a broader global leadership role as the function continues to expand.

Key Responsibilities

Market Access Platform Lead

Our client is an exceptional global hedge fund seeking a Market Access Platform Lead to take ownership of one of the most business-critical and visible technology functions within the firm. Widely regarded as a leader in its field, the organisation combines elite investment talent with world-class engineering, operating in an environment where technology is a genuine competitive advantage. As part of significant ongoing investment in its trading infrastructure, they are looking for a Market Access Platform Lead to shape the future of their global Market Access Platform, driving the performance, reliability, and scalability of the technology that underpins front-office trading activity worldwide. This is a rare opportunity to join a top-tier hedge fund and lead a high-impact Market Access Platform team at the intersection of trading, technology, and strategy.

They are looking for a Market Access Platform Lead who thrives on ownership, enjoys solving complex challenges, and can inspire high-performing teams to deliver exceptional results. The ideal Market Access Platform Lead will bring a blend of technical credibility, strong people leadership, and outstanding stakeholder management skills. This role is equally suited to someone who enjoys mentoring and developing talent as it is to someone who wants to influence platform strategy and work directly with traders and senior business stakeholders. Leading a large team of talented engineers, this Market Access Platform Lead will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact while positioning themselves for future progression into a broader global leadership role as the function continues to expand.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and grow a team of approximately 17 engineers across the Market Access Platform organisation.
• Define and execute the long-term strategy for the firm's global Market Access Platform.
• Improve market data reliability, quality, scalability, and operational resilience across critical trading environments.
• Drive automation, observability, testing, and platform modernisation initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce operational risk.
• Partner directly with traders, desk leads, and senior technology stakeholders to deliver business-critical solutions.
• Oversee exchange connectivity, market data, and vendor‑driven technology enhancements supporting trading growth.
• Establish clear ownership models, governance frameworks, and engineering best practices.
• Develop leadership capability within the team, mentoring managers and senior engineers.
• Deliver strategic platform improvements that enhance performance, stability, and scalability.
• Act as a key technology partner to the business, ensuring the platform continues to support evolving trading strategies and future growth.
  

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven experience leading market access, market data, electronic trading, or low‑latency infrastructure teams.
• Strong people management experience, ideally leading managers and sizeable engineering organisations.
• Deep understanding of market access platforms, market data ecosystems, exchange connectivity, and trading infrastructure.
• Track record of driving improvements in reliability, observability, automation, and operational excellence.
• Experience operating within a hedge fund, tier‑one investment bank, electronic trading firm, market maker, or comparable high‑performance environment.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to build credibility with traders, portfolio managers, and senior technology leaders.
• Strong strategic thinking coupled with a hands‑on, delivery‑focused mindset.
• Experience building and scaling high‑performing engineering teams.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across technology and business functions.
• Commercial awareness and understanding of how technology impacts trading performance and business outcomes.
• A proactive, ambitious, and ownership‑driven approach with a genuine passion for continuous improvement.