Job title: Staff Software Engineer (Distributed Systems)
Job type: Permanent
Emp type: Full-time
Location: United States
Job published: 01-04-2025
Job ID: 93847

Job Description

Job Title: Staff Software Engineer (Distributed Systems)

Location: US (EST) / UK (Remote)

I’m working with a fast-growing and award-winning FinTech company that has recently achieved unicorn status with a valuation exceeding $1 billion. they are transforming the fixed-income eTrading space, working with top-tier banks and leveraging cutting-edge technology. With ambitious expansion plans, including doubling their tech headcount this year, they offer an exciting, dynamic, and innovative environment for top engineering talent.

The Role: My client is looking for a Staff Software Engineer to take the lead in designing and developing mission-critical distributed systems that power one of the largest corporate bond e-trading platforms. This role will involve solving complex technical challenges in distributed computing, low-latency trading, and real-time financial data processing. This is a high-impact role where you will influence technical strategy, mentor a high-performing engineering team, and deliver scalable and resilient solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Design and Architect Systems: Lead the development of scalable, fault-tolerant, and low-latency distributed systems to support trading workflows.

  • Drive High-Impact Projects: Own and deliver key initiatives, such as trading protocol expansions, workflow simplifications, and performance optimizations.

  • Optimize Performance: Enhance system performance to achieve sub-millisecond latency and high throughput for high-frequency trading.

  • Mentor and Lead: Provide technical guidance, code reviews, and mentorship to elevate engineering excellence across the team.

  • Cross-Team Collaboration: Work closely with product managers, stakeholders, and other engineering teams to align technology with business goals.

  • Champion Best Practices: Drive adoption of best practices in software development, testing, deployment, and monitoring.

  • Maintain and Support Systems: Ensure the reliability, availability, and scalability of critical trading systems, proactively addressing production issues.

What Success Looks Like in the First 3-6 Months:

  • You will take ownership of a critical project such as Trading Protocol Expansion, integrating new instruments and enhancing existing trading systems.

  • You will simplify and normalize trading workflows, improving efficiency and scalability.

  • You will establish yourself as a technical leader, providing guidance on architecture and best practices while fostering collaboration across teams.

  • You will contribute to improving quality, observability, and streamlining service delivery, supporting the company’s rapid growth and innovation.

Must-Have Technical Skills:

  • 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on capital markets, trading workflows, and electronic trading systems.

  • Strong proficiency in JVM-based languages (e.g., Java, Kotlin, Scala) with clean and maintainable coding practices.

  • Expertise in large-scale distributed systems and high-throughput data processing.

  • In-depth knowledge of network protocols and messaging frameworks (TCP/IP, Kafka, RabbitMQ, Aeron).

  • FIX Protocol experience (QuickFIX/J, Artio, or similar frameworks).

  • Hands-on experience with cloud-native technologies (Kubernetes, Docker).

  • Strong background in performance optimization for low-latency, high-frequency trading systems.

Nice-to-Have Technical Skills:

  • Experience with Scala.

  • Expertise in Aeron.

Must-Have Business Skills:

  • Proven ability to collaborate across teams and deliver critical business functionality.

  • A strong commitment to continuous improvement and high product quality.

Nice-to-Have Business Skills:

  • Knowledge of Fixed Income markets.

Why Join?

  • 100% Remote: Flexibility to work from anywhere within the US (EST) or UK.

  • Cutting-Edge Tech: No red tape—engineers can pitch new technologies and implement impactful solutions.

  • Rapid Growth & Stability: A dynamic FinTech with strong backing and aggressive expansion plans.

  • Flat Structure: A culture where everyone contributes, and innovation thrives.

  • Exceptional Compensation: $200,000 - $250,000 USD base salary + 20-30% bonus.

  • Comprehensive Benefits: Fully paid medical, dental, and vision coverage.

  • Work-Life Balance: Flexibility is encouraged, with leadership setting the example.

If you’re a confident, highly skilled engineer who thrives in an innovative, fast-moving environment, I’d love to hear from you!

Apply now to be part of this groundbreaking journey in electronic trading.