Senior Engineer - Systematic

Chicago Trading Company; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous time off

Insurance coverage

Paid parental leave

Free breakfast and lunch

Wellness reimbursement

Job summary

Chicago Trading Company is seeking a Sr. Engineer to lead the development of an options research and trading platform. This role demands significant experience in systematic trading, particularly with options, along with proficiency in Python. The successful candidate will work closely with trading and research teams, ensuring technical solutions effectively enhance market strategies. The salary range is $150,000—$250,000, with a hybrid workplace model and comprehensive benefits including generous leave and wellness programs.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a systematic trading desk is vital, particularly with options.
• Hands-on experience with Python, especially modern concepts and asyncio.
• Experience designing flexible research systems for large data processing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain high-performance trading applications focused on volatility.
• Translate strategies into technical requirements for live systems.
• Drive a technical roadmap and maintain high standards of code quality.

Skills

Systematic trading experience

Python proficient

Options knowledge

Architect-level role experience

Real-time market data processing

Familiarity with numerical toolkits (pandas, NumPy)

Job description

Chicago Trading Company (CTC) is a premier proprietary trading firm specializing in options market making. Our collaborative culture fuels innovation in quantitative research, systematic trading strategies, and cutting‑edge trading technology. For over three decades CTC has provided critical liquidity across derivatives exchanges worldwide – making them fairer, more transparent, and more efficient.

We strive to be the most innovative firm in the industry today, tomorrow, and long into the future while upholding ethical excellence. We believe that CTC makes a positive impact on the markets, the lives of our employees, and all the communities to which we belong. Started in 1995 by a team of forward‑thinking traders, we are proud to call ourselves an industry leader that keeps making markets and each other better.

Join our team as Sr. Engineer in the systematic vol trading space. Lead the development of a cutting‑edge options research and trading platform that directly influences our market position and drives P&L. Bridge the gap between development, research, and trading teams to deliver technical solutions that give us a market edge.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, test, and maintain high‑performance trading applications, back‑testing tools, and libraries using Python, with a focus on volatility products.
• Work closely with traders to translate strategies into technical requirements, and with researchers to optimize the integration of models into live trading systems.
• Create and drive a technical roadmap developing strong, dependable, and easy‑to‑maintain code in accordance with established guidelines and industry norms.
• Participate in code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and contribute to continuous improvement within the team.
• Keep up‑to‑date with the latest advancements in trading technology, Python development, and related libraries and frameworks.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience in working directly on a systematic trading desk. Options experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in an architect‑level role.
• Hands‑on experience with Python and proficiency in modern Python concepts such as asyncio.
• Experience designing and implementing systems capable of processing real‑time market data at low latencies and integrating seamlessly with research pipelines.
• Experience designing and implementing high‑performance and flexible research systems capable of hosting and processing terabytes of data on a computer cluster with GPU and tens of thousands of CPU cores.
• Experience using numerical toolkits such as pandas and NumPy is preferred but not required.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is listed below. This role is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. The discretionary bonus will be dependent upon the individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, and firm performance.

$150,000—$250,000 USD

Most teams at CTC, with the exception of Trading, follow a hybrid workplace model, subject to change based on business need.

Our Benefits

We strongly believe in the well‑being of our employees and their families so we offer outstanding benefits to support you both professionally and personally. These benefits include generous time off, insurance coverage, paid parental leave, free breakfast and lunch (plus healthy snacks, of course), wellness reimbursement, and a variety of other benefits focused on providing the best employee experience.

Interns and contractors are not eligible for benefits at CTC.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At CTC, we aim to cultivate a workplace that celebrates diversity and each person feels included, engaged and empowered. Where each of us feels we belong. We are committed to having a diverse workforce and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. CTC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or to apply for a position, please contact us at [e-mail]. Note that emails sent to this email account for non‑disability related issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Information submitted by job applicants may be subject to review and analysis by automated systems, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), as part of the recruitment process. Such systems are utilized to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our hiring procedures. Applicants are advised that any information provided may be evaluated by AI tools to ensure an equitable and thorough assessment.