At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop and optimise high-performance C++ trading systems in a collaborative environment.
- Company: Leading quantitative trading firm with a focus on innovation and technical excellence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, strong growth opportunities, and a dynamic office-first culture.
- Other info: Join a team of elite engineers and researchers in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment.
- Why this job: Tackle complex challenges in low-latency engineering and make a real impact in trading.
- Qualifications: Experience in modern C++, Linux systems, and performance optimisation techniques.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Our client is a highly sophisticated quantitative trading firm operating across a broad range of exchange-traded asset classes and global markets. With offices spanning North America, Europe and offshore financial centres, the business combines deep quantitative research with cutting-edge engineering to develop and deploy systematic trading strategies across multiple time horizons.
The environment is made up of highly analytical engineers, researchers and technologists from backgrounds including computer science, mathematics, engineering and physics, all working together to solve complex technical and quantitative challenges at scale.
They are currently looking to hire a Senior C++ Engineer to join their core trading technology team in London. This position will focus on the development and optimisation of high-performance, low-latency trading systems that underpin live trading, market connectivity and quantitative research workflows across the business.
You will work closely with quantitative researchers and senior engineers to design and build scalable trading infrastructure, whilst contributing to architecture decisions across networking, hardware utilisation and performance engineering. The role offers strong ownership and exposure to some of the most technically challenging problems within systematic trading and low-latency engineering.
- Develop and optimise C++ software for high-performance trading systems
- Build infrastructure supporting research, backtesting and live trading workflows
- Work closely with quantitative researchers and engineering teams on trading-related tooling
- Design low-latency distributed systems with strong focus on performance and reliability
- Contribute to architecture decisions across networking, CPU utilisation and hardware optimisation
- Analyse and improve system performance through profiling, benchmarking and optimisation techniques
- Work across market connectivity and exchange-facing infrastructure
Strong commercial experience with modern C++ is required, along with:
- Background building high-performance or low-latency systems
- Strong Linux systems and network programming knowledge
- Understanding of CPU architecture and performance optimisation techniques
- Experience with multithreading, concurrency and lock-free programming
- Experience working with packet capture, packet replay or low-level network analysis tooling
- Exposure to market data protocols or exchange connectivity is highly beneficial
- Financial services or trading systems experience is advantageous but not essential
This is an office-first engineering environment built around collaboration, technical excellence and continuous learning. The team are looking for highly motivated engineers who enjoy solving difficult technical problems and operating within fast-paced, performance-driven environments. The role offers highly competitive compensation alongside strong long-term growth opportunities within a technically elite trading environment.
Contact Ciara Clarke at Harrington Starr for a confidential discussion on this role.
Senior HFT Engineer in City of London employer: Harrington Starr
Join a leading quantitative trading firm in London, where you'll be part of a dynamic team of analytical engineers and researchers dedicated to solving complex technical challenges. With a strong emphasis on collaboration, technical excellence, and continuous learning, this office-first environment offers competitive compensation and significant opportunities for professional growth in the fast-paced world of high-frequency trading.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior HFT Engineer in City of London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Harrington Starr or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
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We think you need these skills to ace Senior HFT Engineer in City of London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Harrington Starr.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Harrington Starr and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Harrington Starr
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Harrington Starr uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
