Senior KDB Developer

Talan; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working: 3 days onsite

Job summary

Talan is seeking an experienced Senior KDB+ Developer to join its front-office technology team in London. You will design, develop and enhance real-time analytics and trading capabilities for Fixed Income products, working closely with traders and quantitative specialists.

You will mentor junior developers, provide technical leadership, and help deliver robust solutions with rapid feedback cycles and frequent releases in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience developing with KDB+ / q in front-office or electronic trading.
• Strong software engineering principles with testing and delivery.
• Experience developing real-time data processing systems.
• Good knowledge of UNIX/Linux environments.
• Excellent communication with traders and stakeholders.
• Solid understanding of Fixed Income, electronic trading, market data or quantitative finance.
• Experience with the TorQ framework, qSpec or qUnit.
• Exposure to trading algorithm governance or compliance tooling.
• Mentoring developers or leading technical initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Partner directly with traders to understand business requirements and deliver solutions.
• Design, develop, test and deploy enhancements to Fixed Income algorithmic trading and risk platforms.
• Build and maintain high-performance real-time KDB+ processes, schemas and APIs.
• Develop solutions for trading surveillance, compliance monitoring and algorithm oversight.
• Create monitoring dashboards using Altair Panopticon where appropriate.
• Perform ad hoc statistical and quantitative analysis of trading algorithm performance, market data and client activity.
• Support maintenance, optimisation and evolution of KDB+ infrastructure and applications.
• Contribute to release management processes and governance standards.
• Provide technical guidance to junior developers and promote engineering best practices.
• Deliver third-line support and technical assistance to production and operations teams.

Skills

KDB+ / q

Front-office trading

UNIX/Linux

Real-time processing

Algorithmic trading

Communication with traders

Mentoring juniors

Tools

TorQ framework

qSpec

qUnit

Altair Panopticon

Job description

Location: London, UK
Employment Type: Permanent / Contract (depending on engagement)
Company: Talan

Hybrid Working: 3 Days Per Week onsite

About the Role

Talan is seeking an experienced Senior KDB+ Developer to join a high-performing front-office technology team supporting Fixed Income electronic and algorithmic trading activities in London.

You will work closely with traders, quantitative specialists and technology teams to design, develop and enhance pricing, trading, hedging and risk management solutions for Fixed Income products. Operating within a fast-paced front-office environment, you will be part of a small, highly collaborative KDB+ development team delivering real-time analytics and trading capabilities with rapid feedback cycles and frequent releases.

This is an excellent opportunity for a senior engineer who combines deep KDB+ expertise with strong analytical thinking and business-facing communication skills. You will also be expected to provide technical leadership and mentorship to more junior team members.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner directly with traders and stakeholders to understand business requirements and deliver effective technical solutions.
• Design, develop, test and deploy enhancements to Fixed Income algorithmic trading and risk management platforms.
• Build and maintain high-performance real-time KDB+ processes, schemas and APIs.
• Develop solutions for trading surveillance, compliance monitoring and algorithm oversight.
• Create monitoring and visualisation dashboards using Altair Panopticon where appropriate.
• Perform ad hoc statistical and quantitative analysis of trading algorithm performance, market data and client activity.
• Support the ongoing maintenance, optimisation and evolution of KDB+ infrastructure and applications.
• Contribute to release management processes, ensuring robust controls and adherence to governance standards.
• Provide technical guidance to junior developers and promote engineering best practices across the team.
• Deliver third-line support and technical expertise to production support and operational teams.

Skills & Experience

• Extensive commercial experience developing with KDB+ / q in a front-office or electronic trading environment.
• Strong understanding of software engineering principles, including design, testing and delivery methodologies.
• Experience developing and supporting real-time data processing systems.
• Good knowledge of UNIX/Linux environments.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and debugging skills.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively with traders and business stakeholders.
• Solid understanding of Fixed Income products, electronic trading, market data or quantitative finance.
• Experience with the TorQ framework.
• Knowledge of qSpec, qUnit or similar automated testing frameworks.
• Exposure to trading algorithm governance, monitoring or compliance tooling.
• Previous experience mentoring developers or leading technical initiatives.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate will be a hands-on senior developer who thrives in a fast-moving front-office environment. You will be comfortable engaging directly with business users, translating complex requirements into robust technical solutions, and delivering high-quality software with short delivery cycles.

If you have a passion for financial markets, enjoy solving complex data challenges and want to work at the intersection of technology and trading, we'd love to hear from you.

Talan is an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.