Senior Spot Trader (Fintech/Payments)

Black Pen Recruitment; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 500,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm seeks a commercially driven Spot FX & Crypto Trader for their trading team in Cape Town. This hybrid role combines real-time market making, direct client negotiations, and collaboration with developers to enhance trading infrastructure. Ideal candidates possess a strong educational background and substantial trading experience, capable of thriving in fast-paced environments.

Qualifications

• 2–6 years of experience in spot or derivative market making.
• Prior experience in OTC or institutional crypto or FX trading preferred.
• Strong understanding of market dynamics and pricing strategies.

Responsibilities

• Make competitive prices across FX and crypto pairs.
• Negotiate trade terms with institutional clients.
• Collaborate with technical teams on pricing engine improvements.

Skills

Market making

Pricing models

Risk management

Client interaction

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering

Professional certifications (e.g., CFA, CA, FASSA)

Tools

FIX protocols

WebSocket APIs

Job description

Our client is looking for a commercially driven and technically savvy Spot FX & Crypto Trader to join their trading team. The role involves real-time market making and pricing across spot FX and crypto pairs, direct clientnegotiation, and active involvement in developing and improving pricing engines and tradinginfrastructure.

This is a hybrid role requiring deep market insight, strong client-facing skills, and the ability to collaborate with developers and quants on trading system enhancements.

Job type: Fulltime/ Permanent

Location: Cape Town

Workplace: Hybrid

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Professional certifications (e.g., CFA, CA, FASSA) are advantageous but not required.
• 2–6 years of experience in spot or derivative market making.
• Prior experience in OTC or institutional crypto or FX trading is highly preferred.
• Proven track record in pricing, risk management, and client interaction in fast-moving markets.
• Experience with both centralized and decentralized crypto venues is a strong advantage.
• Strong understanding of pricing models, market making, order books, and market dynamics.
• Familiarity with FIX protocols, WebSocket APIs, and trading platform integrations.
• Ability to work closely with technical teams to test, validate, and deploy system updates.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong attention to detail and high risk awareness.
• Calm under pressure and confident in decision-making during market volatility.
• Entrepreneurial, analytical, and collaborative mindset.

Responsibilities

Pricing & Trading

• Make competitive two-way prices across major and emerging market FX pairs and leading crypto assets (e.g., BTC, USDT).
• Monitor liquidity venues, OTC flows, and market depth to optimize pricing and execution quality.
• Maintain real-time visibility on P&L, inventory, spreads, and risk exposures.
• Execute trades and manage flows while adhering to defined risk limits and compliance policies.

Client Interaction

• Quote spot FX and crypto prices directly to institutional and high-volume clients.
• Negotiate trade terms and manage client expectations on pricing and execution.
• Act as a market intelligence source, providing insights into market movements and pricing rationale.
• Collaborate with the sales team to support onboarding, pricing strategies, and client retention.

System & Infrastructure Development

• Work with quant and engineering teams to improve the pricing engine, trading algorithms, and execution logic.
• Suggest and test enhancements for latency reduction, pricing accuracy, and auto-hedging logic.
• Analyze trade data to optimize spreads, slippage, and trading performance.
• Help define requirements and test cases for system upgrades, new product launches, and venue integrations.

Support the COO

• Collaborate with the COO to enhance business processes and revenue-generation strategies.
• Assist with ad hoc tasks and initiatives as needed.
• Attend stakeholder meetings on behalf of the COO when required.