Principal Front Office Trading Systems Developer

Morgan McKinley; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan McKinley is seeking a hands-on Principal Front Office Trading Systems Developer to lead the evolution of our in-house electronic trading platform. The role targets Java expertise focused on order placement to market, execution engineering, and real-time order lifecycle mechanics on equities.

You will own the replacement of legacy platforms with a high-throughput execution engine and OMS supporting APAC trading desks, with collaboration across Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and London.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience focused on Front Office trading platforms.
• Expert-level Java Core, including concurrency, multi-threading, and JVM tuning.
• Experience in Order Management System (OMS) development and order-to-trade flows.

Responsibilities

• Design, code, and deploy core OMS modules, order state machines, and real-time trading components.
• Build and maintain high-throughput order execution gateways and market connectivity layers with FIX messaging.
• Implement full order-to-trade lifecycle workflows including fills and cancels handling.
• Ensure high availability and rapid response of production execution platforms for regional desks.
• Collaborate with front-office desks and tech partners across APAC locations.

Skills

Java Core

Concurrency & Multithreading

JVM Tuning

High-performance Data Structures

C++ or Python

Tools

MS SQL Server

PostgreSQL

Memory Caching

FIX Protocol tooling

Job description

We are looking for a hands‑on Principal Front Office Trading Systems Developer to drive the development of our next-generation, in-house electronic trading platform.

This role is designed for an Java Expert focused on order placement to market, execution engineering, and real‑time order lifecycle mechanics on equities. You will take direct technical ownership of replacing legacy vendor platforms with a high-throughput, proprietary execution engine and order management system (OMS) supporting regional trading desks across APAC.

Key Responsibilities

• In-House OMS & Execution Architecture: Design, code, and deploy core order management modules, order state machines, and real-time trading components.
• Exchange Gateway & Market Connectivity: Build and maintain high-throughput order execution gateways, market connectivity layers, and FIX messaging protocols.
• Full Order-to-Trade Lifecycle: Implement order placement, execution routing, fills/cancels handling, and exchange execution report workflows.
• Level 2/3 System Engineering: Ensure high availability and rapid response for production execution platforms supporting regional sales & trading desks.
• Cross-Regional Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner directly with front-office business desks and technology partners across Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, and London.

Requirements

• Seniority & Track Record: ~10 years of software engineering experience with a heavy focus on Front Office Cash Equities, Futures, or Derivatives trading platforms.
• Core Language Depth: Expert-level mastery in Java Core (concurrency, multi-threading, JVM tuning, high-performance data structures). C++ or Python experience is a plus.
• Order Placement & Execution Expertise: Strong background in Order Management System (OMS) development, order-to-trade execution flows, and market gateway engineering.
• Connectivity Standards: Practical experience with FIX Protocol (4.2/4.4), market connectivity, or direct exchange binary protocols (e.g., HKEX OCG/CCCG, TSE/Arrowhead).
• Database Engineering: Solid proficiency in relational databases (MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL) and memory caching layers.