Senior C++ Engineer

Leadingnation; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Leadingnation in Hong Kong is seeking a Senior C++ Engineer to design, develop, and optimize core real-time trading infrastructure. You will work on latency-sensitive components, ensure code quality, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver robust and scalable solutions.

The role emphasizes hands-on coding, debugging, and performance tuning, with mentoring of junior engineers. Prior trading systems experience is highly preferred and you will participate in reviews, profiling, and

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in C++ system-level development, ideally C++17 or newer.
• Proven experience designing low-latency, high-throughput, and highly available systems.
• Deep understanding of threading models, memory layout, lock-free data structures, and CPU/cache behavior.
• Proficiency with system-level debugging and profiling tools (perf, gdb, valgrind, sanitizers).
• Experience writing technical design documents and leading system-level architectural discussions.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across backend and frontend teams.
• Experience mentoring engineers and leading large-scale system design.
• Experience in networking protocols (TCP, UDP, WebSockets) support.
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures, asynchronous processing, and message queues/brokers (ZeroMQ and/or Kafka).

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with traders and project managers to understand mission-critical trading apps.
• Develop and maintain high-performance C++ components for real-time data processing and event handling.
• Contribute to system design decisions around memory management, concurrency, error recovery, IPC.
• Work with backend and frontend engineers to design efficient APIs and system boundaries.
• Conduct in-depth code reviews focusing on performance, correctness, and maintainability.
• Identify performance bottlenecks and lead profiling and optimization.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers on design patterns, performance, and C++ best practices.
• Contribute directly to feature implementation, maintenance, and system improvements.
• Stay informed on industry trends and advancements in trading infra and real-time systems.
• Foster a culture of technical ownership and transparency.

Skills

C++ system-level

Low-latency systems

High-throughput systems

Concurrency & threading

Profiling & debugging

Networking protocols (TCP/UDP/Webs)

Mentoring engineers

System design leadership

Tools

perf

gdb

valgrind

sanitizers

ZeroMQ

Kafka

Prometheus

Grafana

OpenTelemetry

gRPC

Job description

Description

As a Senior C++ Engineer, you will contribute to the design, development, and optimization of our core real-time trading infrastructure. You will work on latency-sensitive components, ensure code quality, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver robust and scalable solutions.

You will participate in technical discussions, contribute to system improvements, and ensure our C++ codebase continues to be a strong foundation for high-availability systems. While you will be expected to provide technical guidance and mentorship, this role is hands-on with a strong focus on coding, debugging, and performance tuning.

Prior experience in trading systems is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with traders and project managers to gain a deep understanding of mission-critical trading applications.

Develop and maintain high-performance C++ components for real-time data processing, event handling, and command execution.

Contribute to system design decisions around memory management, concurrency models, error recovery, and inter-process communication.

Work with backend and frontend engineers to design efficient APIs and system boundaries across services.

Conduct in-depth code reviews with a focus on performance, correctness, and maintainability.

Identify performance bottlenecks and lead efforts in profiling and optimization.

Mentor junior and mid-level engineers on design patterns, performance, and C++ best practices.

Contribute directly to feature implementation, maintenance, and system improvements.

Stay informed on industry trends and advancements in trading infrastructure and real-time systems.

Foster a culture of technical ownership and transparency.

Requirements

Must Have

7+ years of experience in C++ system-level development (ideally C++17 or newer)

Proven experience designing low-latency, high-throughput, and highly available systems

Deep understanding of threading models, memory layout, lock-free data structures, and CPU/cache behavior

Proficiency with system-level debugging and profiling tools (e.g., perf, gdb, valgrind, sanitizers)

Experience writing technical design documents and leading system-level architectural discussions

Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across backend and frontend teams

Experience mentoring engineers and leading large-scale system design

Experience in networking protocols (TCP, UDP, WebSockets) support

Familiarity with event-driven architectures, asynchronous processing, and message queues/brokers (ex. ZeroMQ and/or Kafka)

Nice to Have

Knowledge of Python and/or Rust

Background in crypto, high-frequency trading, or real-time market data systems.

Experience designing and consuming gRPC or RESTful APIs

Experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, TimescaleDB)

Familiarity with crypto exchange market data and order routing protocols

Contributions to open-source projects or a strong technical blog/portfolio

Experience with observability tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry).

Interview Process

CV Screening - We will review your application based on the qualifications and experience outlined above.

HR Interview - To clarify any questions before technical assessment.

First interview - Interview with the engineering team lead and senior engineers on experiences and motivation and generic technical questions

Take Home Test - A practical exercise designed to evaluate your technical ability and simulate real-world technical challenges.

Second Interview - Interview with VP of Engineering to delve into your resume and skills, and discuss your career goals

Final Interview with the CIO - A concluding discussion to evaluate cultural fit, strategic alignment, and how you resonate with the firm's values.

Throughout the process, you'll be assessed for cultural fit through our company values:

Drive - We seek people whose passion fuels relentless growth and a pursuit of excellence.

Ownership - We value those who take initiative and treat the company's goals as their own.

Judgment - We value individuals who focus on what matters and consistently drive meaningful results.

Openness - We believe in honest dialogue, constructive challenge, and shared learning.

Competence - We work with people who can thrive in fast-changing environments.

Resilience - We stay calm under pressure, adapt quickly, and learn from setbacks.