Principal Software Engineer, Trading Services

NinjaTrader; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 127,000 - 254,000; Full time

Job summary

NinjaTrader is seeking a skilled engineer to design, develop, and optimize its core Scala-based trading services. You will work on a high-volume, low-latency system that operates around the clock, ensuring reliability and scalability for retail futures trading.

You will lead architectural decisions, mentor junior engineers, and collaborate with product, security, and operations to deliver secure, high-performance solutions.

Qualifications

• Experience with high-performance, high-concurrency distributed trading systems.
• Expertise in JVM and performance tuning for high-performance environments.
• Experience supporting 24/7 production systems, ideally in trading environments.
• Deep knowledge of networking protocols and APIs (HTTP/HTTPS, WebSockets).
• Proficiency with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions) and debugging in real-time.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize Scala-based trading services for high-volume, low-latency, 24x7 environments.
• Lead architectural strategy for future-state scalability and performance optimization.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers, promoting best practices and technical excellence.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, operations, and security teams to translate business requirements into robust and secure technical solutions.
• Optimize system performance, with focus on JVM tuning for Scala/Akka-based distributed system.
• Enhance monitoring and observability of services for real-time trade execution and operational transparency.
• Ensure compliance with security policies, regulatory standards, and industry best practices.

Skills

Scala

JVM tuning

High-performance distributed systems

24/7 production systems

Networking protocols (HTTP/HTTPS, Webs

CI/CD (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)

Debugging under pressure

Communication skills

Functional programming experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

Kafka

RabbitMQ

REST APIs / gRPC

Job description

JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO BECOME THE #1 RETAIL TRADING PLATFORM IN THE WORLD

Welcome to the dynamic world of NinjaTrader! As an industry-leading trading platform and futures broker, we're empowering traders to take control of their financial destiny. How do we do it? We provide cutting-edge products and services that enhance the trading journey. Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, NinjaTrader equips traders with award-winning software and brokerage services to navigate the world's leading financial markets with confidence.

Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Since 2003, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. Through those efforts, our user base has grown to over 2 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide.

But we're not stopping there. We're constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, and modernizing the futures industry. Our commitment to innovation means users will always have access to dynamic tools, real-time support, and a community of like-minded traders.

So, why work at NinjaTrader? Here, you're not just part of a team; you're part of a movement. We empower employees to reach new heights in their careers by providing a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives. Sounds too good to be true? Take it from our employees.

Join us as we redefine what's possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the world's top retail-focused trading platform in the world.

The team

NinjaTrader is a futures-focused brokerage offering low commissions, award-winning trading platforms, and a suite of customizable tools for active traders. The platform delivers integrated multi-device trading across desktop, web, and mobile, with access to thousands of third-party trading apps and add-ons.

The opportunity

In this pivotal role on our Trading Services team, you will design, evolve, and optimize our core trading infrastructure. You will help scale and enhance our highly scalable, low-latency trading system, ensuring it meets the highest standards of performance, scalability, and reliability. Your work will directly impact our ability to support rapid growth in the retail futures trading space.

In this role you will:

• Design, develop, and optimize our Scala-based trading services for high-volume, low-latency, 24x7 environments
• Lead architectural strategy for future-state scalability and performance optimization
• Mentor and guide junior engineers, promoting best practices and technical excellence
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, operations, and security teams to translate business requirements into robust and secure technical solutions
• Optimize system performance, with focus on JVM tuning for Scala/Akka-based distributed system
• Enhance monitoring and observability of services for real-time trade execution and operational transparency
• Ensure compliance with security policies, regulatory standards, and industry best practices

What you bring

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Extensive experience with high-performance, high-concurrency distributed trading systems
• Proven expertise in JVM and performance tuning for high-performance environments
• Experience supporting 24/7 production systems, ideally in trading environments
• Deep knowledge of networking and protocols (HTTP/HTTPS, WebSockets, DNS, TCP/IP)
• Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills in high-pressure, real-time conditions
• Excellent communication skills, capable of clearly articulating technical concepts to diverse stakeholders
• Experience in functional programming languages within exchange/trading environments

Nice to haves

• Experience in low-latency, lock-free development and design
• Strong experience with multithreading and concurrency in high-performance environments
• Familiarity with binary or custom trading protocols
• Strong knowledge of messaging frameworks (Kafka, RabbitMQ) and network protocols (UDP, TCP)
• Hands-on experience implementing HTTP/WebSockets, REST APIs, OAuth, gRPC, and Redis APIs
• Deep understanding of order handling/matching engines
• Extensive experience with FIX or other market data/order-entry protocols
• Practical hands-on experience with cloud-native technologies (Kubernetes and Docker)
• Solid grasp of network communications, particularly IP multicast and TCP protocols used in market data feeds

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Compensation

$127.2K - $254.4K Offers Equity Offers Bonus

This is the target annual salary range for this role. This range is not inclusive of other additional compensation elements, such as our Bonus program, Equity program, Wellness allowance, and other benefits [US Only] (including medical, dental, vision and 401(k)).

The compensation range provided is influenced by various factors and represents the initial target range. Our salary offerings are dynamic and we strive to ensure that our base salary and total compensation package aligns and recognizes the top talent we aim to attract and retain. The compensation package of the successful candidate is based on various factors such as their skillset, experience, and job scope.