Options C++ Developer
Senior C++ Software Engineer (L6) - Options Trading / Low‑Latency Systems
Location: Amsterdam / London / Chicago (Hybrid)
Team: Core Options Trading Technology
Type: Full‑time
About the Role
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior C++ Engineer (L6) to join our elite team building next‑generation options trading systems at a leading high‑frequency trading (HFT) firm. In this role, you will architect, optimize, and deliver software that operates at the absolute limits of latency, stability, and throughput. You'll work closely with traders, quants, and systems engineers to design and implement cutting‑edge infrastructure that powers our global options market‑making strategies.
This is a high‑impact position where your code directly influences PnL and shapes the technological edge of the firm.
What You'll Do
- Design, implement, and optimize ultra‑low‑latency C++ trading systems, with a focus on options markets (equities, futures, or multi‑asset).
- Engineer high‑performance components across the full stack of the trading pipeline: market data ingestion, pricing, risk, order execution, and exchange connectivity.
- Profile, benchmark, and tune systems at the nanosecond and microsecond scale (CPU caches, kernel bypass, NIC tuning, SIMD, lock‑free structures).
- Collaborate with traders and quants to translate strategy requirements into robust, production‑ready systems.
- Own mission‑critical code from design through production rollout, monitoring, and continuous iteration.
- Work with hardware specialists to push performance boundaries (FPGA, DPDK, kernel bypass, PTP, RDMA).
- Drive engineering excellence and mentor mid‑level and junior engineers.
What We're Looking For
Required:
- 7-12+ years of professional experience in modern C++ (C++17/20 or higher).
- Strong background in low‑latency systems, high‑performance computing, or real‑time distributed systems.
- Prior experience building options trading systems (pricing, greeks, volatility surface, order routing, or market‑making).
- Deep knowledge of systems internals: CPU architecture, memory hierarchy, multi‑threading, lock‑free programming, networking (TCP/UDP, multicast), and Linux performance tuning.
- Experience improving latency, throughput, and determinism in production systems.
- Comfortable working very close to hardware and the OS.
Nice to Have:
- Experience with HFT‑specific optimizations (kernel bypass, Solarflare/Onload, DPDK, FPGA‑accelerated paths).
- Knowledge of exchange protocols (OUCH, ITCH, FIX, native options APIs).
- Familiarity with Python for scripting, analysis, or orchestration.
- Contributions to in‑house performance libraries or custom C++ frameworks.
FAQs
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