Senior Low-Latency Java Engineer (Electronic Trading – FX).

Morgan McKinley; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan McKinley client, a premier software engineering consultancy focused on finance, is seeking a Senior Low-Latency Java Engineer in London to design and build high-throughput, event-sourced microservices for FX pricing, matching, and execution engines.

You will work closely with front-office stakeholders, optimize performance in Linux, and implement low-latency patterns across distributed systems using Java 17+ in a demanding trading environment.

Qualifications

• Expert in Core Java with high-throughput, low-latency systems.
• Experience with event-driven architectures in finance trading environments.
• Strong Linux performance tuning and zero-allocation/zero-GC mindset.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop event-sourced microservices for FX pricing, matching, and execution engines.
• Collaborate with front-office and infrastructure teams to minimize latency bottlenecks and improve throughput.
• Produce high-performance Java code and contribute to architecture decisions in a Linux environment.

Skills

Core Java Mastery

Low-Latency Systems

Mechanical Sympathy

Trading Infrastructure Experience

Tools

Aeron

Vert.x

FIX/SBE

AWS

Job description

Our client is a premier software engineering consultancy built to tackle the most complex, mission-critical engineering problems in modern finance. They are currently building next-generation, high-throughput FX trading platforms where microseconds matter.

The Role

As a Senior Low-Latency Java Engineer, you will design and build commercial-grade, event-sourced microservices for FX pricing, matching, and execution engines from scratch. You will work closely with front-office stakeholders, writing high-performance code and eliminating latency bottlenecks.

• Core Java Mastery: Expert-level experience in Core Java (Java 17+) writing high-availability, fault-tolerant distributed systems.
• Low-Latency & Event-Driven Systems: Proven track record with event-driven architectures (e.g., Sequencers, CQRS, Command Sourcing) in electronic or algorithmic trading environments.
• Mechanical Sympathy: Hands-on experience writing low-latency, zero-GC/zero-allocation code and tuning performance in Linux environments.
• Trading Infrastructure Experience: Solid domain experience building order gateways, exchange connectivity, or market data systems.

Bonus Points

• Aeron: Experience with Aeron, Aeron Cluster, or OpenHFT/Chronicle stack.
• FX / CFD Domain: Deep understanding of FX market microstructure or CFD platforms.
• Modern Messaging & APIs: Experience with Vert.x, WebSockets, REST, or binary protocols (FIX/SBE).
• Cloud & DevOps: Familiarity with AWS, Docker, Grafana, or Jenkins.