At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and optimise low-latency trading systems for real-time performance.
- Company: Join Portofino Technologies, a leader in market-making tech.
- Benefits: Competitive compensation, collaborative culture, and strong technical ownership.
- Other info: Work closely with traders and engineers in a fast-paced environment.
- Why this job: Make a direct impact on live trading systems and enhance your skills.
- Qualifications: Strong C++ experience and knowledge of performance-critical systems required.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
Join our Market Making tech team to design and optimise low-latency trading systems, with direct impact on performance, reliability, and scale. We are looking for experienced C++ engineers focused on building high-performance, low-latency systems. You will work across the trading stack, from exchange connectivity to core system components, solving real-time performance challenges and improving system efficiency. The role combines performance optimisation across CPU, memory, and networking with large-scale system design in an environment where code runs directly in production. You will take ownership of critical components, iterate quickly, and deliver production-grade systems with measurable impact.
Responsibilities
- Develop and optimise performance-critical components across the trading system
- Work on exchange connectivity, core infrastructure, and system architecture
- Analyse system performance and identify bottlenecks across CPU, memory, and network layers
- Improve latency, throughput, and reliability of trading systems
- Design and build new applications and system components from scratch
- Collaborate closely with traders and engineers to deliver robust, production-ready solutions
Requirements
- Must have
- Strong experience in modern C++ (C++20+)
- Experience building low-latency or performance-critical systems
- Solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, and system design
- Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills (e.g. GDB, Valgrind)
- Experience analysing and optimising performance (benchmarking, profiling)
- Understanding of networking and hardware-level behaviour
- Familiarity with concepts such as thread pinning, CPU isolation, shared memory, kernel bypass
- Ability to work independently and take ownership from design to production
- Nice to Have
- Experience with exchange connectivity or real-time market data systems
- Experience with distributed systems or real-time data processing
- Familiarity with containerised environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Experience with low-latency frameworks or libraries (e.g. Boost.Asio, libuv, TBB, Disruptor)
- Experience optimising systems at the hardware level (CPU, cache, NUMA, memory)
Your personality
- Proactive, hands-on, and ownership-driven
- Comfortable working in a fast-moving, production-focused environment
- Strong problem-solving mindset with attention to detail
- Collaborative, with the ability to work closely with traders and engineers
Why Join Portofino Technologies
- C++ performance engineering sits at the heart of a live trading system, with direct impact on performance across multiple venues.
- Direct impact: your work runs in production and affects live trading
- Ownership: build and evolve systems end to end, from design to deployment
- Lean team: work closely with experienced traders and engineers
- High leverage: internal tooling, including AI systems, helps reduce repetitive work and accelerate development
We offer a collaborative environment with strong technical ownership and competitive compensation aligned with performance.
C++ Performance Engineer employer: Portofino
At Portofino Technologies, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer where C++ Performance Engineers can thrive in a dynamic and collaborative environment. Our lean team structure fosters close collaboration with experienced traders and engineers, allowing for significant ownership of projects that directly impact live trading systems. With competitive compensation and a focus on employee growth through innovative internal tooling, we empower our engineers to excel in their careers while making meaningful contributions to high-performance, low-latency trading solutions.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land C++ Performance Engineer
✨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 Portofino 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 Portofino.
✨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 Portofino.
✨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 Portofino 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 C++ Performance Engineer
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 Portofino.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Portofino 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 Portofino
✨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 Portofino 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.
