Sr. Trading Platform Operations Specialist

Topstep; United States; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-paid holidays

Family leave

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Wellness budget

Job summary

Topstep is seeking a Sr. Trading Platform Operations Specialist to streamline how the platform operates by building scalable processes, driving automation, and coordinating cross-functional programs across engineering, product, support, and operations.

The role focuses on turning manual work into repeatable systems, establishing standards, and improving collaboration as the org scales. Strong async collaboration in a remote environment is valued.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in technical operations, release management, program management, or platform operations.
• Experience managing workflows, releases, and versioning across Jira or similar tools, with automation experience preferred.
• Proven ability to coordinate releases across engineering, QA, and product — you know where releases stall and keep handoffs moving.
• Track record of turning ad hoc processes into durable systems: runbooks, automations, standards.
• Strong written communication — release notes, runbooks, status updates with clear ownership.
• Sound judgment on escalation vs direct decision, managing priorities across multiple trains.
• Experience automating manual work with scripting, APIs, AI tools, or workflow platforms.
• Comfortable in a remote, Slack-heavy async environment.

Responsibilities

• Release Execution: consolidate readiness signals and provide go/no-go view for stakeholders.
• Release Execution: manage cross-team dependencies and inform scope/ship-date decisions.
• Release Execution: own release communications including notes for product, support, and leadership.
• Operational Programs: design and operate cross-functional initiatives with measurable results.
• Operational Programs: embed programs into existing workflows (release, testing, onboarding, support).
• Operational Programs: scope goals, stand up programs, own them to completion.
• KPIs & Operational Reporting: track platform KPIs and run reporting cadences.
• KPIs & Operational Reporting: maintain data hygiene and metric definitions for scaling.
• Process & Automation: manage automation backlog; build quick wins and spec larger projects.
• Process & Automation: create documentation, runbooks, and self-service workflows.
• Process & Automation: analyze bottlenecks and prioritize improvements with metrics.

Skills

Releases coordination

Cross-functional collaboration

Operational program mgmt

Automation & scripting

Written communication

Decision-making under pressure

Async remote work

Tools

Jira

Automation platforms

APIs

Scripting

Job description

Summary

The Sr. Trading Platform Operations Specialist improves how the Trading Platform organization operates by building scalable processes, driving automation, and coordinating cross-functional operational programs. Reporting to the Trading Platform Operations Lead, this role partners across engineering, product, support, and operations to turn manual work into repeatable systems, establish operational standards, and improve how teams work together as the organization grows.

With visibility across the platform organization, the Sr. Trading Platform Operations Specialist identifies cross-team dependencies, operational bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement that individual teams cannot see on their own. The role owns key operational programs—including release coordination, reporting, documentation, onboarding, and process automation—ensuring the organization operates efficiently, delivers reliably, and continues to scale.

Key Responsibilities

Release Execution

• Partner with Engineering Managers to drive releases from code complete to production, ensuring engineering, QA, and product handoffs stay on track with no silent stalls.
• Lead release operations by consolidating readiness signals, risks, defects, and dependency status into a clear go/no-go view for release stakeholders.
• Partner with Engineering Managers to manage cross-team dependencies, identify sequencing risks, and inform scope and ship-date decisions.
• Own release communications, including release notes and recurring release summaries for product, support, and leadership.

Operational Programs

• Partner with engineering, product, support, and operations leaders to design and operate cross-functional initiatives where success depends on execution rather than technical implementation.
• Design and run operational programs that make teams across the department more effective — scoping the goal, standing the program up, and owning it through to a measurable result.
• Embed each program into the way teams already work (release, testing, onboarding, and support workflows) so it sticks rather than becoming overhead, and keep it running smoothly as the organization grows.

KPIs & Operational Reporting

• Track and report the platform org's operational KPIs and run the reporting cadence leadership relies on.
• Maintain the data hygiene and metric definitions that keep reporting accurate as the org scales into more release trains.
• Run recurring exchange and operational reporting reliably (such as CME reports).

Process & Automation

• Manage the automation backlog: build the quick wins yourself, spec the larger projects for engineering.
• Turn tribal knowledge into durable documentation, runbooks, and self-service workflows that reduce operational dependency on individuals and improve onboarding.
• Continuously analyze operational bottlenecks and use metrics to prioritize process improvements and automation investments.

Required Qualifications And Key Competencies

• 5+ years in technical operations, release management, program management, or platform operations, including end-to-end ownership of operational systems or processes.
• Experience managing workflows, releases, and versioning across Jira or similar tools, with automation experience strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to coordinate releases across engineering, QA, and product — you know where releases stall and keep handoffs moving without being asked.
• Track record of turning ad hoc processes into durable systems: runbooks, automations, and standards that outlast any single release.
• Strong written communication — your release notes, runbooks, and status updates leave no follow-up questions.
• Sound judgment on what to decide directly versus escalation, with the organizational skills to manage competing priorities across multiple release trains.
• Demonstrated experience identifying manual operational work and replacing it with automation using scripting, APIs, AI tools, workflow automation platforms, or similar technologies.
• Comfortable in a remote, Slack-heavy async environment.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with trading, fintech, brokerage, or another regulated environment is a plus — exposure to exchange operations or reporting (CME or similar) especially so.
• Experience driving change within startup environments.

Company Culture & Perks

• Topstep is an engaging working environment which ranges from fully remote to hybrid. We foster a culture of collaboration with cameras on during meetings and a robust Slack environment for communication.
• Seven Company-paid Holidays and generous Family Leave. Paid time off is front-loaded.
• Competitive 401(k) matching, health, dental, and vision insurance is offered for full time employees.
• Vacations are encouraged with a bonus for taking 5 consecutive days. Employee referrals are bonused. Topstep offers a food and groceries budget and contributes towards health and wellness.

New Hire Base Salary Range

• $140,000 - $165,000.
• Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.
• The compensation offered will take into account internal compensation structure and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Topstep is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all employees and applicants are valued. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.