Senior Software Developer - Python

Interactive Brokers; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual performance-based bonus

401(k) retirement plan with competitive company match

Comprehensive health benefits

Daily lunch allowance

Education reimbursement

Job summary

Interactive Brokers is seeking an experienced software engineer in Chicago for a hybrid role focusing on surveillance and data pipeline systems. Candidates should have over 5 years of software engineering experience, preferably in Python and demonstrate strong collaborative skills within a cross-functional team.

The role offers competitive benefits including a base salary between $200,000 and $250,000 annually, a performance-based bonus, and excellent health benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• 3+ years of experience in Python as a primary language.
• Extensive experience in Polars, Pandas or NumPy.
• 1-3 years of experience with Linux operating systems.
• Thorough understanding of databases and SQL.

Responsibilities

• Design, optimize, and extend transaction surveillance and data pipeline processes.
• Collaborate with quantitative engineers and Compliance stakeholders.
• Own and automate robust data pipelines for real-time processing.
• Contribute to internal code review processes.

Skills

Python

C++

Java

Polars

Pandas

NumPy

SQL

Linux

Education

Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science or a related area

Job description

This is a hybrid role (3 days in the office/2 days remote).

About Your Team

The Financial Crimes Surveillance team develops and maintains sophisticated systems that detect and prevent fraud, market manipulation, and money laundering across Interactive Brokers' global platform. In this role, you'll architect, implement, optimize, and maintain large-scale data pipelines and surveillance models that process massive volumes of financial data. The team consists of software engineers, data engineers, compliance specialists, and data scientists working on mission-critical infrastructure that directly protects the integrity of the financial system.

The Scale & Impact

• Process 1+ billion order events and 6+ million trades daily
• Protect 4.5+ million client accounts
• Direct impact on financial security and regulatory compliance

Responsibilities

Technical Excellence

• Design, optimize, and extend transaction surveillance and data pipeline processes to enhance system efficiency, reliability, and scalability
• Navigate seamlessly between strategic, system-level architecture and function-level implementation details of our surveillance system, which orchestrates 150+ processes
• Optimize data architectures and databases for maximum performance and reliability
• Build developer tooling to accelerate development workflows and system monitoring
• Ensure data accuracy, security, and compliance with regulatory standards

Ownership and Cross-Functional Partnership

• Take ownership of projects and sub-systems from planning through resolution, making impactful decisions on complex technical and business-related questions
• Collaborate effectively with quantitative engineers, surveillance model developers, and Compliance stakeholders to translate complex business requirements into scalable designs and processes
• Identify project bottlenecks, risks, and limitations; calculate costs; and provide strategic insights to stakeholders
• Transform high-level surveillance concepts into production-ready processes that deliver actionable insights
• Own and curate dozens of mission-critical datasets that drive surveillance operations
• Design, build, and automate robust data pipelines to support real-time and batch processing
• Develop advanced data quality frameworks to proactively identify issues before they impact operations
• Contribute to the evolution of coding standards and internal code review processes
• Drive best practices in data storage, retrieval, governance, and privacy protection
• Drive automation of processes and workflows to reduce manual effort and enhance system maintainability

Required Skills

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience in Python, C++ or Java
• 3+ years of professional experience in Python as a primary language (non-scripting)
• Extensive experience in Polars, Pandas or NumPy
• 1-3 years of professional experience with Linux operating systems
• Thorough understanding of databases and SQL
• Experience with large Python codebases
• Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, or a related area
• High attention to detail

Good to Have

• Experience with data engineering or ETL pipelines
• Knowledge of finance
• Knowledge of C++ or Java
• Masters/PhD

Success Traits

• Self-motivated and able to handle tasks with minimal supervision.
• Superb analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent collaboration and communication (Verbal and written) skills.
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills.

Company Benefits & Perks

• Competitive salary, annual performance-based bonus and stock grant
• Retirement plan 401(k) with competitive company match
• Excellent health and wellness benefits, including medical, dental, and vision benefits, and a company-paid medical healthcare premium.
• Wellness screenings and assessments, health coaches and counseling services through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Daily company lunch allowance provided, and a fully stocked kitchen with healthy options for breakfast and snacks
• Corporate events, including team outings, dinners, volunteer activities and company sports teams
• Education reimbursement and learning opportunities
• This role's anticipated base salary range is 200,000 to 250,000 annually based on skills and experience. The offered salary is just part of the total compensation package. In addition to a competitive salary, the company offers both a discretionary cash bonus and stock award as well as a wide range of benefits, including health care, tuition reimbursement and much more.