C++ Team Lead

Shain Associates; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Shain Associates is seeking a hands‑on Technical Lead to own a critical workstream in architecting, implementing, and operating low‑latency C++ market data systems. You will lead the design and evolution of high‑performance infrastructure, collaborating with cross‑functional teams to deliver robust, scalable solutions.

You will guide architectural direction, drive platform improvements, and mentor engineers while ensuring reliability and timely delivery across global real‑time environments.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science or a related field with strong background in data structures, algorithms, and object‑oriented programming in modern C++.
• Deep understanding of Linux system internals and networking, especially in low‑latency and high‑throughput environments.
• Strong knowledge of CPU architecture and ability to leverage CPU capabilities for performance optimization.
• Experience acting as a technical lead or senior engineer owning complex systems end‑to‑end.
• Ability to prioritize in a fast‑moving environment with ownership and urgency.
• Proven ownership of production systems and accountability for reliability.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills for collaborating with business and technology users.
• Experience building solutions on cloud environments such as GCP and AWS.
• Knowledge of additional languages such as Java or Python; scripting skills.
• Background in application development on market data systems and DMA feed handlers.

Responsibilities

• Act as the technical owner for a major market data workstream, setting technical direction and driving end‑to‑end execution.
• Collaborate with hardware and software teams to design real‑time market data processing and distribution systems.
• Lead and drive new technical initiatives, including evaluating technologies and establishing standards.
• Design and develop systems for historical market data and trading simulations to boost research productivity.
• Architect and implement components of an enterprise market data platform, including caching, aggregation, and data enrichment.
• Optimize platform performance using low‑latency techniques (CPU, NIC, kernel, app level).
• Lead automated test and benchmark frameworks, plus risk management and performance tracking tools.
• Provide technical leadership for support and operation of real‑time market data environments across internal, vendor, and exchange changes.
• Design and engineer components to automate monitoring, metrics, and self‑service tools for the platform.
• Serve as primary liaison for users translating requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Improve processes for release/deployment, incident management, and SLA enforcement.
• Mentor engineers through code/design reviews and hands‑on guidance.

Skills

C++

Linux networking

Low latency optimization

Technical leadership

Python automation

Cloud (GCP/AWS)

Market data systems

Java/ scripting"

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Market Data team seeks a hands‑on Technical Lead who will own and drive a critical workstream focused on architecting, implementing, monitoring, and supporting low‑latency C++ systems that are robust, resilient, accurate, stable, and blindingly fast. By leading the design and evolution of this high‑performance infrastructure, you will help position us as a leader in quantitative trading. You will shape the future of this industry while working alongside other exceptional engineers and strategists to solve some of the most significant engineering problems in the world.

We are looking for a strong technical leader with financial markets technology experience and real‑time market data expertise to design, build, and support our global real‑time (both low‑latency and non‑latency‑sensitive) market data platform. This role emphasizes technical leadership, architectural ownership, and cross‑team coordination rather than people management. The successful candidate will be comfortable owning a workstream end‑to‑end—covering design, implementation, monitoring, support, and stakeholder management—while ensuring stability of the existing environment and driving platform improvements.

• Act as the technical owner for a major market data workstream, setting technical direction, defining architecture, and driving execution across the full lifecycle.
• Collaborate with hardware and software teams across divisions to design and build real‑time market data processing and distribution systems.
• Lead and drive new technical initiatives for the team, including evaluating technologies, defining standards, and establishing best practices.
• Design and develop systems, interfaces, and tools for historical market data and trading simulations that increase research productivity.
• Architect and implement components of an enterprise market data platform, including components for caching, aggregation, conflation and value‑added data enrichment.
• Optimize platform performance using network and systems programming, and advanced low‑latency techniques (CPU, NIC, kernel, and application‑level tuning).
• Lead the design and maintenance of automated test and benchmark frameworks, and tools for risk management, performance tracking, and system validation.
• Provide technical leadership for the support and operation of both enterprise real‑time market data environments, including coordinating internal, vendor, and exchange‑driven changes.
• Design and engineer components to automate support and management of the market data platform, including monitoring, real‑time and historical metrics collection/visualization, and self‑service administrative/user tools.
• Serve as a primary technical liaison for users of the market data environment (Portfolio Managers, trading desks, and core technology teams), translating requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Lead the enhancement of processes and workflows for operating the market data platform (release/deployment, incident management and remediation, exchange notification handling, defining and enforcing SLAs).
• Mentor and influence other engineers through code reviews, design reviews, and hands‑on guidance, fostering a culture of technical excellence and accountability.

Qualifications / Skills Required

• Degree in Computer Science or a related field with a strong background in data structures, algorithms, and object‑oriented programming in modern C++.
• Deep understanding of Linux system internals and networking, especially in low‑latency and high‑throughput environments.
• Strong knowledge of CPU architecture and the ability to leverage CPU capabilities for performance optimization.
• Demonstrated experience acting as a technical lead or senior engineer owning complex systems or workstreams end‑to‑end (design, delivery, and operations).
• Able to prioritize and make trade‑offs in a fast‑moving, high‑pressure, constantly changing environment; strong sense of urgency, ownership, and follow‑through.
• Strong belief in and practice of extreme ownership, with a track record of taking accountability for systems in production.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills: able to work closely with business and technology users, understand their needs, and drive appropriate technical solutions.
• Experience building solutions on cloud environments such as GCP and AWS.
• Knowledge of additional programming languages such as Java, Python, or scripting (Perl, shell).
• Technical background in application development on complex market data systems (e.g., Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, etc.).
• Experience supporting market data environments within a global organization, including internally developed DMA feed handlers and distribution infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of market data concepts and functionality, including data models (fields/messages), protocols (e.g., snapshot + delta), order book representations (L1/L2/L3), recovery, and reliability.
• Hands‑on Site Reliability Engineering or DevOps experience, including system administration, automation, measurement, and release/deployment management.
• Experience with monitoring, metrics, and command/control tooling for distributed market data platforms, with the ability to evaluate existing solutions and drive enhancements across development and operations.
• Ability to operate with a high level of thoroughness and attention to detail, demonstrating strong ownership of deliverables and production systems.