Our client is a proprietary trading firm focused on collaboration, rigorous research, and cutting-edge technology. The firm operates as a market maker across leading blockchain protocols, designing and implementing proprietary trading systems and strategies to provide liquidity in some of the most dynamic and complex markets in decentralized finance.
As part of its continued growth, our client is seeking a Head of Trading Technology to lead the core and platform engineering function responsible for building next-generation low-latency trading infrastructure. This is a hands-on technical leadership role, offering the opportunity to own the end-to-end architecture and delivery of high-performance trading systems that support both traditional low-latency trading and emerging on-chain DeFi and real-world asset (RWA) markets.
The successful candidate will lead and mentor a team of highly skilled engineers while remaining actively involved in architecture, development, and performance optimization. This role is ideally suited to an experienced technology leader with a strong background in high-frequency trading environments and a clear vision for modern trading infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities
End-to-End Platform Architecture
- Lead the greenfield design and implementation of a high-performance, low-latency trading platform.
- Ensure the platform meets the demanding requirements of both off-chain and on-chain trading environments.
Hands-On Technical Leadership
- Lead by example through active involvement in software development and code reviews.
- Make and own critical architectural decisions.
- Personally address complex performance, scalability, and latency challenges.
- Drive the adoption of modern, AI-native engineering workflows, tooling, and delivery practices.
Team Leadership & Development
- Build, manage, and inspire a high-performing engineering team.
- Provide hands-on mentorship and technical guidance to engineers across all levels.
- Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Delivery & Execution Ownership
- Define project roadmaps and delivery timelines.
- Manage dependencies across teams and technical components.
- Ensure consistent, high-quality delivery across the entire trading technology stack.
Trading Infrastructure Oversight
- Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the firm's trading infrastructure, including market data ingestion, execution systems, risk management, and supporting services.
- Coordinate and manage engineers working across specialized areas of the platform.
Performance & Scalability
- Drive continuous improvements in latency, throughput, reliability, and scalability.
- Ensure the platform remains competitive in demanding, performance-sensitive trading environments.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with traders, quantitative researchers, and business stakeholders to ensure technology solutions directly support trading objectives and strategies.
Engineering Excellence & Risk Management
- Establish and maintain best practices across software engineering, testing, CI/CD, observability, monitoring, and operational resilience.
- Promote a strong culture of quality, reliability, and risk awareness.
Requirements
Technical Leadership Experience
- 10+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 5 years in senior technical leadership positions such as Lead Engineer, Head of Engineering, Director, or equivalent within trading-focused organizations.
Low-Latency Trading Expertise
- Proven experience designing, building, or optimizing high-performance trading systems in high-frequency trading environments.
- Background in traditional financial markets such as equities, futures, commodities, or other latency-sensitive trading domains is highly desirable.
Software Engineering Excellence
- Deep hands-on programming expertise in high-performance languages such as C++, Rust, or similar.
- Demonstrated track record of delivering production-grade, low-latency systems at scale.
People Leadership
- Experience leading, managing, and mentoring high-calibre engineering teams within fast-paced trading environments.
- Strong ability to attract, develop, and retain engineering talent.
Trading Systems Knowledge
- Solid understanding of end-to-end trading infrastructure, including market data, execution, risk management, clearing, and post-trade processes.
- Ability to oversee and coordinate engineering efforts across multiple specialized domains.
Project & Stakeholder Management
- Proven ability to prioritize effectively, manage complex technical initiatives, and deliver projects successfully within agreed timelines.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to make sound technical decisions in ambiguous and rapidly evolving environments.