Application Support Engineer

QUANTEAM - North America (RAINBOW PARTNERS Group); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A consulting firm specializing in Banking and Finance is seeking a Technical Application Support Engineer in Chicago. This role involves Level 1/2 support for trading systems, requiring strong skills in Unix/Linux, SQL, Python, and FIX protocol. Candidates should have at least a Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field and 3+ years of support experience in a capital markets environment. The position offers a dynamic, multicultural setting with close interaction with trading teams.

Qualifications

• Deep proficiency in Unix/Linux including shell scripting and job scheduling.
• Advanced SQL skills for complex joins and query tuning.
• Solid Python scripting for automation and data reconciliation.
• Strong knowledge of FIX protocol for message-level debugging.
• Understanding of Equity Derivatives and trade lifecycle.
• 3+ years of application support or production engineering experience.

Responsibilities

• Own Level 1/2 production support, including incident triage and resolution.
• Monitor and resolve issues in Unix/Linux environments.
• Write and maintain Python scripts for operational tooling.
• Investigate data issues using advanced SQL across various databases.
• Triage and resolve FIX protocol issues.
• Collaborate with development teams for bug fixes and enhancements.
• Serve as a technical interface for Front Office traders.

Skills

Unix/Linux proficiency

Advanced SQL skills

Python scripting

FIX Protocol knowledge

Understanding of Equity Derivatives

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or Finance

Tools

Fidessa

Sybase

Oracle

PostgreSQL

Job description

As the founding entity of RAINBOW PARTNERS, Quanteam is a consulting firm specialized in Banking, Finance, and Financial Services. Through our core human values – proximity, teamwork, diversity, excellence – our 1000 expert consultants, hailing from 35 different nationalities, collaborate across 13 international offices: Paris, Lyon, New York, Montreal, London, Brussels, Luxembourg, Geneva, Lisbon, Porto, Casablanca, Madrid and Singapore.

Context

Our client, a leading Global Markets firm based in Chicago, is seeking a technical Application Support Engineer to join its Front Office Business Support & Monitoring IT team. This is a hands‑on, engineer‑first role providing Level 1/2 production support across mission‑critical trading, booking, pricing, and risk management systems for Equity Derivatives.

Your Role

• Own Level 1/2 production support: incident triage, root cause analysis, escalation, and resolution across trading and booking platforms (Fidessa, Sophis, Dash, Loanet, etc.).
• Monitor, diagnose, and resolve issues in Unix/Linux environments using shell scripting, log analysis, process inspection, and job scheduling tools.
• Write and maintain Python scripts for alerting, automation, data reconciliation, and operational tooling.
• Investigate data and workflow issues using advanced SQL across relational (Oracle, Sybase, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL datastores.
• Triage and resolve FIX protocol issues (session layer, order routing, drop‑copy, executions) across OMS/EMS connectivity.
• Collaborate with development teams globally on bug fixes, releases, and system enhancements, participating in technical design reviews.
• Serve as the primary technical interface for Front Office traders and desk heads, with clear, concise communication under pressure.
• Maintain and improve runbooks, technical documentation, monitoring dashboards, and alerting rules.

What We’re Looking For

• Unix/Linux: Deep proficiency in Unix/Linux: shell scripting (Bash/KSH), process management, log analysis, and job scheduling (Autosys/cron) in a production trading environment.
• SQL: Advanced SQL skills across relational databases (Oracle, Sybase, PostgreSQL): complex joins, window functions, CTEs, and query tuning to investigate trade breaks and data issues.
• Python: Solid Python scripting for operational automation, data reconciliation, and API integrations using libraries such as pandas, SQLAlchemy, and requests.
• FIX Protocol: Strong knowledge of FIX 4.x/5.0: message‑level debugging (NewOrderSingle, ExecutionReport, etc.), session management, and order flow troubleshooting across OMS/EMS platforms.
• Solid understanding of Equity Derivatives products, trade lifecycle (order routing, booking, risk, P&L), and familiarity with Equity Finance/Delta One instruments (TRS, repos, securities lending).
• Ability to engage credibly with traders and quants on product‑specific issues without step‑by‑step guidance.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a quantitative/finance discipline.
• 3+ years of hands‑on application support or production engineering experience in a capital markets environment.
• Strong analytical mindset, clear communication under pressure, and ability to thrive on a fast‑paced trading floor.

This role offers the chance to work closely with trading teams and cutting‑edge systems in a dynamic, multicultural environment.