At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and implementation of low-latency trading systems with cutting-edge technology.
- Company: Join a high-growth prediction markets trading firm with major institutional partnerships.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, attractive bonuses, and relocation support to Chicago or New York.
- Other info: Collaborate with top-tier engineers and enjoy excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on financial markets with microsecond precision and architectural influence.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in software engineering with expertise in low-latency distributed systems.
Director-level technical leadership role in a high-growth prediction markets trading firm.
Core stack: Java, Aeron, Hydra, Kafka - exchange and clearing infrastructure at microsecond precision.
Hybrid - 3 days in the Belfast office. Salary: £100,000 - £135,000 + highly attractive bonus and benefits package.
8+ years experience required - deep low-latency distributed systems background essential.
About the Company:
Our client is building the premier prediction market platform in partnership with major institutional players in global financial markets. Their platform empowers traders to take positions on real-world events, generating market-driven forecasts that turn intuition into insight for leaders and decision makers. The engineering team operates at the frontier -- building exchange and clearing infrastructure that processes at genuine institutional scale with the highest standards of financial integrity.
The Role:
This is a Director-level technical leadership role focused on the evolution of the firm's low-latency, high-throughput exchange and clearing systems. You will help architect the core infrastructure, drive system design decisions, and deliver hands-on contributions across performance, scalability, and reliability. This role is designed for an engineer who thrives on solving hard problems in financial markets, has deep expertise in low-latency systems, and can operate with microsecond precision at scale while maintaining the highest standards of financial integrity.
Key Responsibilities:
- Help architect, implement and maintain core exchange and clearing infrastructure, ensuring it is performant, scalable and ultra-reliable.
- Provide technical leadership and hands-on contributions to system design patterns, frameworks, protocols and data architectures.
- Build ultra-low-latency and high-throughput messaging architecture using Aeron and Hydra frameworks.
- Design storage and retrieval patterns for market data, trade history, positions and audit trails at high volume.
- Collaborate with the Product team and stakeholders to design technical solutions for new financial products.
- Participate in on-call rotations and respond to production incidents requiring deep technical troubleshooting.
- Set and uphold engineering standards across the platform, mentoring less senior engineers where appropriate.
What You'll Need:
Essential:
- 8+ years of professional software engineering experience building high-performance, low-latency distributed systems.
- Expert-level Java proficiency including concurrency primitives, memory management, JVM internals and performance optimisation.
- Proven experience with Aeron, Hydra or comparable low-latency messaging frameworks.
- Track record of building systems handling 100,000+ messages/second, sub-millisecond p99 latency and 99.99%+ uptime.
- Experience with financial markets technology order books, matching algorithms and derivatives products.
- Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related discipline.
- Eligibility to work in the US on a permanent, indefinite basis (no visa sponsorship available).
Desirable / Nice to Have:
- Direct experience with prediction markets, binary options or exchange-level clearing systems.
- Exposure to financial data architecture at scale -- trade history, positions, audit trails.
Why Apply?
- £100,000 - £135,000 salary with a highly attractive bonus and benefits package.
- Director-level technical leadership with genuine architectural influence not a management track.
- Work on exchange-grade infrastructure at institutional scale with microsecond precision.
- Relocation support to Chicago or New York for the right candidate.
- Join a well-backed, high-growth firm at a formative stage with major institutional backing.
- Build alongside engineers from the top tier of global financial markets technology.
How to Apply:
If you believe you meet the criteria for this role and are excited about the opportunity, please apply via the link. Alternatively, reach out to Phil Gamble directly for an informal chat via LinkedIn or WhatsApp.
Director Staff Engineer (Low Latency) in Belfast employer: Ocho
Our client is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Belfast that fosters innovation and technical excellence. With a competitive salary and a highly attractive benefits package, employees enjoy opportunities for professional growth while working on cutting-edge low-latency systems that shape the future of financial markets. The collaborative culture encourages mentorship and hands-on contributions, making it an ideal place for engineers passionate about solving complex challenges at institutional scale.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director Staff Engineer (Low Latency) in Belfast
✨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 Ocho 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
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Ocho.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Ocho.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Ocho that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Director Staff Engineer (Low Latency) in Belfast
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 Ocho.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Ocho 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 Ocho
✨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 Ocho 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.
