Network Engineer

Wolverine Trading; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus opportunity

401K and Roth 401K

Medical, dental, vision, life coverage

Paid time off

On-site gym

Job summary

Wolverine Trading in Chicago, IL is seeking an experienced Network Engineer to design, implement, and support low-latency network infrastructure for our real-time trading systems. You will collaborate with software engineers and traders to ensure high availability and optimal performance across data centers.

The role is hybrid, requiring local presence and periodic travel to NJ data centers. A strong background in routing, security, and network monitoring is essential, with on-call rotation and

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years in a technical networking environment as a network engineer.
• Deep hands-on experience with complex network designs including L2 switching and dynamic routing (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP).
• Strong network security fundamentals: firewalling (ASA, Palo Alto) and DMZ design.
• Multicast (PIM, IGMP) and real-time market data feeds.
• Extensive knowledge of IOS/NX-OS/EOS/PANOS based devices.
• Ability to troubleshoot latency and packet-drop with tcpdump/Wireshark.
• Meticulous, able to manage competing workloads and schedules.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication.

Responsibilities

• Design, engineer, and implement low-latency network solutions.
• Own and manage strategic projects for high-performance network connectivity.
• Collaborate with exchanges, brokers, and banks in shared colocation facilities.
• Troubleshoot network infrastructure and incidents to minimize disruption.
• Perform network maintenance and upgrades, patches, and hotfixes.
• Monitor resource utilization and perform capacity planning.
• Provide knowledge to ensure safe, efficient network changes.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation.
• Participate in on-call rotation.

Skills

Low-latency design

L2 switching

Dynamic routing

Network security

Multicast

OSPF/BGP/EIGRP

tcpdump/Wireshark

Documentation

On-call support

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Networking or related field

Tools

Cisco IOS

NX-OS

EOS

PAN-OS

Python

Ansible

Cloud (AWS)

Job description

Description

The network team designs, implements, and supports the network infrastructure for Wolverine's proprietary real-time trading systems, including proprietary hardware platforms, with a focus on low latency. Network performance and redundancy are critical to the global trading operation. The Network Engineer will be part of a team that works with Wolverine's software engineers and traders to support the high availability of the electronic trading infrastructure.

Department

Technology

Location

Chicago, IL

Description

The network team designs, implements, and supports the network infrastructure for Wolverine's proprietary real-time trading systems, including proprietary hardware platforms, with a focus on low latency. Network performance and redundancy are critical to the global trading operation. The Network Engineer will be part of a team that works with Wolverine's software engineers and traders to support the high availability of the electronic trading infrastructure.

This is a hybrid position, with a mixture of working from home and working in our Chicago office. The candidate is expected to be local to the Metropolitan Chicago area and will periodically travel to Chicago and New Jersey area data centers.

What You’ll Do

• Design, engineer, and implement low-latency network solutions based on requirements from business stakeholders
• Own and manage strategic projects to implement and optimize low-latency, high-performance network solutions at and between data center locations
• Work with financial exchanges, brokers, and banks to implement network connectivity in shared colocation facilities
• Carry out high-level analysis and troubleshooting of the network infrastructure
• Respond to network requests and troubleshoot network failures to diagnose, isolate, and resolve complex problems, ensuring timely results and minimal disruption to operations
• Perform network maintenance and system upgrades, including patches and hotfixes to address vendor bugs and vulnerabilities
• Monitor system resource utilization and historical trends, and perform capacity planning
• Provide the technical knowledge needed to ensure safe, effective, and efficient changes to the network infrastructure
• Produce and maintain detailed technical documentation
• Participate in the team's on-call rotation

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum of 6 years in a technical networking environment as a network engineer
• Deep, hands-on experience with complex network designs and principles, including L2 switching and dynamic routing (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP) in complex environments, with advanced traffic steering, filtering, and route redistribution
• Strong network security fundamentals: firewalling (ASA, Palo Alto), security zones and DMZ design, network ACLs, NAT, and site-to-site IPSec VPN
• Solid knowledge of multicast (PIM, IGMP) and best practices for deploying it, including the delivery of real-time market data feeds
• Extensive knowledge of network operating systems (IOS / NX-OS / EOS / PANOS based network devices)
• Ability to troubleshoot network latency and packet-drop issues using monitoring, diagnostic, and packet analysis tools (e.g., tcpdump, Wireshark)
• Meticulous attention to detail, with a proven ability to prioritize competing workloads and manage implementation schedules
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and the ability to work independently within a team structure
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to distill complex technical issues into clear, concise terms
• Strategic thinking balanced with sharp day-to-day execution, and a commitment to continuous improvement

Preferred

• CCIE certification
• Knowledge of exchange connectivity in financial trading environments
• Experience working with financial exchanges, brokers, and banks
• Experience with network automation; understanding of Python and Ansible
• Experience with physical planning, implementing, and supporting space, power, and structured cabling within a data center environment
• Experience troubleshooting fiber optic connectivity within and between data center locations

Bonus Points

• Hands-on experience with cloud services (AWS, GCP)
• Understanding of network time synchronization protocols
• Experience with databases and big data tools (e.g., MySQL, Splunk, InfluxDB, Grafana)
• Experience with Linux shell utilities

We strive to be the experts of our own network, and this role is expected to operate with that mindset - including the willingness to invest the time needed to learn our environment in depth, and the humility to own and learn from mistakes.

We are currently only considering candidates who are presently authorized to work in the US for this position and who do not require visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Why Join Us

Our flat organizational structure promotes teamwork across the Firm and offers easy access to senior staff. While we work exceptionally well as a team in the office, our bonds are further strengthened through company events, activities and giving back. Volleyball, soccer, hockey, 5K runs, picnic, parties, and trivia nights provide friendly competition and build better relationships. By getting out of our usual environment and doing out‑of‑the‑ordinary things together, we foster creativity and broaden our imaginations to accomplish new challenges.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary & bonus opportunity
• Generous paid time off and flexible scheduling
• 100% coverage of medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits for single coverage
• Generous Paid Parental Leave
• Retirement Plans: 401K and Roth 401K
• Profit sharing plan
• Long- and short-term disability

Additional Perks

• Free breakfast and lunch from our in-house kitchen with rotating menus (including snacks!)
• On-site gym with a subsidized membership
• Frequent company outings
• Opportunity to give back to organizations that help individuals in need in the Chicagoland area

Professional Development

• In-house education team – classes and resources are offered for continuous learning opportunities
• Mentorship Program through your first six months of employment

The base compensation range for this role is approximately $150,000-$200,000 contingent on experience. Wolverine Trading's total compensation model includes base salary and an annual discretionary bonus.