Senior C++ Engineer

Job description

About the role: We are hiring a senior, hands-on C++ engineer to build and optimize the low-latency hot path for a top-tier global trading firm (name shared under NDA). This is a headhunting search for one exceptional engineer, not a volume hire. You will own performance-critical trading and market-data systems in production, working alongside traders and quant researchers. If you are motivated by genuinely cutting-edge, latency-obsessed engineering - not just comp - this is built for you. Location and eligibility: - Fully remote from the UK (primary), Netherlands, or France - You must already hold the right to work in your country of residence (no sponsorship offered) Engagement: - 12-month contract, convertible to a full-time/permanent role after 12 months by mutual agreement - Employment/engagement vehicle handled per country Compensation: - Highly competitive, benchmarked to top-of-market trading-firm rates for senior low-latency engineers - Exact range confirmed at screening What you will do: - Design, build, and optimize the low-latency hot path for automated/electronic trading in modern C++ (C++17/20) - Build and maintain market-data infrastructure: feed handlers, ticker plant, order-book construction, and normalization - Implement exchange connectivity and FIX-based order flow, including smart-order-routing components - Drive down tick-to-trade latency using lock-free data structures, cache- and NUMA-aware design, and kernel-bypass networking (Solarflare/Onload, DPDK) - Profile, measure, and eliminate latency and jitter across the full stack - Translate strategy and execution needs from traders and quants into performant, reliable production code - Own components end-to-end: reliability, observability, and incident response Required - ~6+ years of professional C++ engineering in production low-latency systems - Modern C++: C++17 minimum, C++20 preferred - Low-latency experience from traditional financial services: proprietary trading firm, market-maker, HFT shop, investment-bank e-trading desk, or systematic hedge fund - Direct market-data, feed-handler, or electronic-trading exposure - Hands-on with lock-free programming, multicast, low-level networking, and performance profiling - Comfortable with fully remote work and a 12-month contract structure Nice to have - Kernel-bypass (Solarflare/Onload, DPDK) and NUMA/cache-aware design - Order book, ticker plant, smart-order-router, and exchange connectivity - Deep tenure in a single demanding low-latency environment Not a fit - Low-latency C++ experience derived solely from crypto exchanges or crypto market-makers (traditional trading backgrounds required) - Purely academic or research C++ with no production low-latency systems - A pattern of very short tenures with no depth in one low-latency environment Screening focuses on 1. ~6+ years of professional C++ / low-latency engineering 2. Low-latency C++ built inside traditional financial services 3. Direct market-data, feed-handler, or electronic-trading experience 4. Current base in the UK, NL, or FR and openness to a remote 12-month contract How we hire (AI transparency notice - EU AI Act & GDPR) We use AI-assisted tools in parts of our recruitment process, including candidate sourcing and initial screening support. In line with the EU AI Act and GDPR, we want you to know: - Human oversight: A qualified human makes every shortlisting, interview, and hiring decision. No candidate is rejected or advanced by an automated system alone. - No solely automated decisions: You will not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (GDPR Art. 22). - Transparency: You will be told when you are interacting with an AI system (for example, automated outreach or any AI-assisted assessment) and what it does. - No prohibited practices: We do not use emotion-recognition or biometric-categorization tools in hiring. - Fairness: Our screening is based on job-relevant skills and experience only; we monitor for and act against discriminatory outcomes. - Your rights: You may request human review of any AI-assisted step, an explanation of how it works, and access to or correction/deletion of your personal data. Contact us at any stage to exercise these rights.