Tech Lead - Quant Engineering

Zygo People; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

Discretionary bonus

Shares

Job summary

Zygo People is hiring a Tech Lead – Quant Engineering (Risk & Multi-Asset) in London. The role combines deep quant finance with hands-on engineering across Python, C++, and Node.js/TypeScript.

You'll join a fintech scale-up backed by private equity, work on replacing third-party risk engines with an in-house system, and own critical build decisions from day one. Expect a flat structure and direct access to leadership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on software and quant finance experience.
• Exposure to multi-asset risk concepts and models.
• Comfort in a fast-paced startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Write specs and implement models for a new in-house risk engine.
• Own components end-to-end with minimal approvals.
• Mentor junior engineers as the London team grows.

Skills

Quant finance exposure

Software engineering

Multi-asset risk awareness

Hands-on coding

Adaptable to new languages

Tools

Python

C++

Node.js/TypeScript

JVM/Kotlin

Job description

Tech Lead – Quant Engineering (Risk & Multi-Asset)

London (4 days office / 1 day remote)

£100,000 - £180,000 (DOE) + benefits + discretionary bonus + shares

Do you have deep quant finance exposure but you're tired of being one of twenty people who has to sign off before your code goes anywhere? Are you a strong software engineer who's spent years adjacent to trading and risk systems, but never got to actually own the build?

You'd be joining a fintech scale-up, backed by a global private equity major, right at the start of a new growth cycle. The London engineering team is currently 6-7 people, mirroring a much larger 40-strong hub in Hong Kong, and you'd be one of the most senior technical voices in the room from day one.

The core project: replacing third-party risk engines (think MSCI Barra, Aladdin) with an in-house, multi-asset risk engine, because clients want more control and reliability than the incumbents offer, and the business wants to own its own supply chain instead of paying for it.

There's no one in London today who can write the specs, validate the models, and build the implementation. That's the gap.

Why You'll Love It Here

• Genuine ownership: if you want to shape the product roadmap, you get in the room and make the case, no layers of approval to fight through
• A very flat structure, you'd report directly to the Head of Engineering with minimal hierarchy above you
• Primarily hands-on (this is a builder's role, not a manager's), with mentoring and coaching as a bonus, not an obligation
• Direct exposure to the product team and Head of Risk from early on
• Real scope to grow as the London team scales
• Freedom in how you work, paired with genuine investment in AI coding tools (Cursor, credits for top models) to keep you efficient, not micromanaged

About the Role

Day to day, you'll be deep in the build: Python for data and calculation engine work, C++ where performance matters, and a Node.js/TypeScript full-stack layer, with the team also moving toward JVM/Kotlin. Whatever your primary language, if you've got 10+ years behind you, picking up what's needed here shouldn't be a barrier.

You'll be trusted to write specs, validate models, and where relevant, implement them yourself. As the London team grows, you'll have the option (not obligation) to mentor into it. You won't be boxed into a narrow technical lane, and if you want to take ownership of parts of the wider platform beyond risk, that door is open.

What You'll Need

• 10+ years' experience
• Genuine quant finance exposure, formulas, models, and implementation, not just proximity to a quant team
• Multi-asset awareness, particularly risk-oriented (not necessarily exotic instruments)
• Strong software engineering background (still hands-on)
• Comfort working in a startup-paced, low-hierarchy environment
• Openness to picking up new languages/stacks

If you want to build something from the ground up, sit close to leadership, and stop waiting for twenty sign-offs before your work matters, this is worth a conversation.