Trading Engineer - Strategy

OP Recruiting; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Premium health insurance

Generous paid leave

Job summary

OP Recruiting is seeking a Systems Engineer for a premier global market-making firm in Chicago. You will own the reliability and performance of mission-critical trading systems, driving automation and engineering excellence in real-time environments.

You will oversee health of live trading environments, implement automated tooling, and collaborate with researchers, traders, and developers to deploy high-impact system enhancements. This role requires SRE experience and a proactive mindset.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in SRE, or real-time production operations.
• Proficiency managing Linux environments and Kubernetes.
• Advanced automation using Python and Bash.
• Bachelor’s degree in CS, Engineering, or related technical field.
• Proactive problem-solver with ability to work under pressure and learn financial markets.

Responsibilities

• Oversee health and low-latency performance of live trading environments with rapid incident response.
• Design and deploy automation frameworks to reduce manual interventions.
• Bridge between researchers, traders, and developers to implement system enhancements.
• Identify bottlenecks and lead reliability improvements in production.

Skills

SRE experience

Kubernetes

Python

Linux

Bash

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Kubernetes

Job description

About The Opportunity

We are seeking a high-caliber Systems Engineer to join a premier global market-making firm at the intersection of high-frequency technology and algorithmic strategy. This is a front-line role where you will own the reliability and performance of mission-critical trading systems, driving automation and engineering excellence in an environment where milliseconds define success. If you thrive in high-pressure, real-time scenarios and want to see the immediate impact of your code on global markets, this is your next challenge.

Location:

Chicago, IL (Hybrid/On-site)

About The Opportunity

We are seeking a high-caliber Systems Engineer to join a premier global market-making firm at the intersection of high-frequency technology and algorithmic strategy. This is a front-line role where you will own the reliability and performance of mission-critical trading systems, driving automation and engineering excellence in an environment where milliseconds define success. If you thrive in high-pressure, real-time scenarios and want to see the immediate impact of your code on global markets, this is your next challenge.

Responsibilities

• Real-Time Operations: Oversee the health and low-latency performance of live trading environments, providing rapid incident response and deep-dive root cause analysis for complex distributed architectures.
• Automation & Tooling: Design and deploy sophisticated automation frameworks to eliminate manual interventions, enhancing the scalability and resilience of the trading infrastructure.
• Cross-Functional Synergy: Act as the technical bridge between quantitative researchers, traders, and core developers to implement high-impact system enhancements and strategy deployments.
• Infrastructure Evolution: Proactively identify bottlenecks in production environments and lead initiatives to optimize system reliability through modern engineering practices.

Requirements (Must-have)

• Experience: At least 3 years in Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), systems engineering, or technical operations, specifically supporting high-performance, real-time production environments.
• Technical Stack: Proficiency in managing enterprise Linux environments and container orchestration via Kubernetes.
• Scripting: Advanced automation capabilities using Python and Bash.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Mindset: A proactive problem-solver who remains composed under pressure and possesses a strong desire to learn the intricacies of financial market mechanics.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-have)

• Observability & Data: Experience with monitoring and data tools such as Prometheus, InfluxDB, or Kafka.
• Database Management: Familiarity with SQL and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB) environments.
• Domain Knowledge: Previous experience within fintech, proprietary trading, or a high-frequency data environment.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $175,000 – $225,000 USD
• Total Rewards: This position is eligible for a competitive discretionary bonus and a comprehensive benefits package including premium health insurance and generous paid leave.