Senior KDB+ Specialist – Fixed Income Algo Trading

MARGO; Greater London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

MARGO is a tech-native consultancy delivering IT expertise to finance. We seek a Senior KDB+ / q Specialist to develop real-time data platforms, work closely with traders, and support production in a fast-paced FI environment.

You will engage with front-office traders, optimize time-series data, and contribute to monitoring dashboards and risk analytics while participating in release cycles with a collaborative, Agile team.

Qualifications

• Deep, hands-on experience with q/KDB+ in a front-office time-series environment.
• Solid knowledge of Fixed Income products or quantitative finance.
• Strong Linux/UNIX OS knowledge and performance monitoring mindset.
• Proven trader-facing communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Development & Analytics: Design, develop, test, and deliver real-time KDB+ processes and APIs for FI desks.
• Engage with traders to gather requirements and build monitoring views (e.g., Panopticon).
• Maintain time-series data models, optimize q code performance, and create monitoring tools.
• Provide 3rd line production support and participate in releases with on-call duties.

Skills

q/KDB+

Fixed Income

Linux/UNIX

Trader-facing comms

CI/CD

Agile

Panopticon

TorQ

qspec

QUnit

Education

Degree in CS/Math/Physics/Engineering

Tools

TorQ

qspec

QUnit

Panopticon

Job description

Join MARGO in the UK (London) – Perm & Contracting Opportunities

MARGO is a tech-native consultancy delivering high value-added IT expertise to the financial services industry. We specialise in data-intensive trading and risk environments where real-time analytics, large data volumes, and high-performance engineering are critical. Joining MARGO means working on highly specialized data platforms while benefiting from a human-sized structure, close follow-up, and tailored career paths.

Business Context

You will work directly within the Front Office Fixed Income Algo Trading IT environment. This role sits in a fast-paced setting focused on real-time pricing, risk management, and trading algorithm performance for FI products.

The platform supports:

• Real-time and intraday market data streaming and time-series capture.
• Fixed Income pricing, hedging, and risk analytics.
• Ad-hoc statistical analysis of algorithm behavior, client behavior, and market impact.
• Real-time trade and algorithm monitoring dashboards (e.g., Panopticon).

Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior KDB+ / q Specialist to work on real-time data and algo trading platforms. While centered on robust kdb+ development, the position features short feedback cycles and direct interaction with traders and production teams.

We welcome candidates with strong kdb+ / q experience who thrive across:

• 3rd line platform support & performance optimization
• Technical business analysis & trader-facing requirement gathering

Key Responsibilities

• Development & Analytics: Design, develop, test, and deliver change on real-time KDB+ processes, including API and schema design for FI Algo desks.
• Business Interaction: Liaise directly with traders to gather requirements, analyze algo performance, and build custom monitoring views (such as Altair Panopticon dashboards).
• Platform & Data Ownership: Maintain and evolve time-series data models, optimize q code performance, and build compliance/monitoring tools.
• Support & Delivery: Provide 3rd line technical support to production teams, participate in release processes (including occasional out-of-hours releases), and ensure software delivery compliance.

Technical Environment

• Visualization & Tools: Altair Panopticon (or similar monitoring tools).

Required Experience & Skills

• Deep, hands-on experience with q/KDB+ in a front-office time-series environment.
• Solid knowledge of Fixed Income (FI) products or quantitative finance.
• Strong Linux/UNIX OS knowledge and performance monitoring mindset.
• Proven track record in a trader-facing or front-office role with clear communication and systematic reasoning.
• Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or Engineering.
• Experience with the TorQ framework, qspec, or qunit.
• Exposure to Altair Panopticon dashboards.
• Familiarity with modern software delivery, CI/CD pipelines, and Agile methodologies.

Why Join MARGO

• Direct impact on front-office algorithmic trading and risk architectures.
• Flexible exposure across development, 3rd line support, and quantitative business analysis.
• Agile team culture with short feedback loops and rapid delivery cycles (hours to days).
• Human-sized consultancy with close support and long-term career focus.