Software Engineer - Distributed Systems

Selby Jennings; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Selby Jennings is seeking an experienced Software Engineer in London with strong Java backend development to join a leading hedge fund's team. The role involves building highly available, low-latency systems that process millions of transactions per second and advancing automation across the business.

You will design, develop, and deploy solutions for pre-trade research platforms, trading systems, and large-scale financial infrastructure, in a collaborative environment that directly supports

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong Java and OO programming fundamentals.
• Ownership of production services from design to deployment.
• Solid understanding of distributed and event-driven architectures.
• Experience with high-throughput, low-latency systems in production.
• Exposure to financial platforms such as Clearing, Settlement, or Payments is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy software solutions across multiple business functions.
• Partner with end users to identify workflow inefficiencies and deliver scalable solutions.
• Build and maintain high-performance, distributed systems handling large volumes of financial data.
• Contribute throughout the full software development lifecycle from design to monitoring and optimisation.
• Collaborate with engineers, traders, researchers, and operations teams to deliver impactful tech.

Skills

Java

Low-latency systems

Distributed systems

Production ownership

Event-driven architecture

Job description

Our client, one of the world's leading hedge funds, is seeking an experienced Software Engineer with strong Java backend development expertise to join their London-based team.

This is an opportunity to work on mission-critical technology spanning pre-trade research platforms, trading systems, and large-scale financial infrastructure. You'll be building highly available, low-latency systems capable of processing millions of transactions per second while helping to drive automation and operational efficiency across the business.

As a member of this team, you will design, develop, and deploy innovative solutions that solve complex financial data challenges within a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment that directly supports the firm's global trading operations.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy software solutions that drive automation across multiple business functions.
• Partner closely with end users and stakeholders to identify workflow inefficiencies and deliver scalable solutions that remove manual processes and reduce operational risk.
• Build and maintain high-performance, distributed systems handling large volumes of financial data.
• Contribute throughout the full software development lifecycle, from design and implementation through to deployment, monitoring, and ongoing optimisation.
• Collaborate with engineers, traders, researchers, and operations teams to deliver impactful technology solutions.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong proficiency in Java and object-oriented programming principles.
• Proven experience owning production services from design and implementation through deployment, monitoring, incident response, and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of distributed and event-driven architectures, including scalability, resilience, correctness, and production debugging.
• Experience working with high-throughput, low-latency systems in demanding production environments.
• Exposure to financial platforms such as Clearing, Settlement, Reconciliation, Payments, Transaction Processing, Position Management, or related domains is highly desirable.

What's on Offer

• The opportunity to work at one of the most sophisticated technology-driven hedge funds globally.
• Exposure to large-scale distributed systems and complex financial data challenges.
• A collaborative, engineering-focused culture with direct business impact.
• Competitive compensation and long-term career growth opportunities.