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- Tasks: Lead the development of a critical trading dashboard and optimise complex SQL queries.
- Company: Join a 25-year systematic hedge fund with a tech-driven culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, performance-based bonus, 25 days holiday, and pension.
- Other info: Collaborate with traders and engineers in a high-standard, peer-reviewed team.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic trading environment with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Strong SQL Server skills, C#/.NET experience, and front-office buy-side background.
The predicted salary is between 140000 - 180000 £ per year.
Our client, an algorithmic trading hedge fund with a 25-year track record in systematic trading, are hiring a Principal SQL Developer to join their trading desk tech team. It’s a 20-person business with roughly half the team in engineering and technical roles, so you’re in a genuinely tech-led environment where trading is fully programmatic and engineers work closely with the desk day to day.
They’re hiring a Principal SQL Developer to become the lead engineer responsible for their most business-critical platform: the internal trading dashboard that sits at the centre of the desk’s day-to-day activity. You’ll work closely with traders, quantitative researchers and the Founder, helping shape how financial market data is stored, modelled, queried and surfaced across the business. The environment spans long-running futures trading systems, crypto trading infrastructure built over the last decade, and increasingly complex options datasets.
A big part of the role is understanding what the business is trying to achieve with the data, then designing the right structures, workflows and tooling around it. This is not a traditional ETL or pipeline engineering role. The systems are highly concurrent, transactional and real-time, with correctness and consistency being absolutely critical. A lot of the core business logic sits in SQL stored procedures, and the role spans both the database and application layers across SQL Server and C#/.NET systems while acting as a key link between the trading desk and wider engineering team.
Non-Negotiables
- SQL Server
- Concurrent SQL environments
- Stored Procedures
- Complex query optimisation
- Data modelling
- C# / .NET
- Front-office buy-side experience (hedge funds, asset management, systematic trading, OMS/PMS environments)
- Strong academics (2:1 or above in a technical discipline)
What You'll Work With
- SQL Server on Windows VMs in Azure
- C# / .NET
- Trading dashboard
- Portfolio and order management systems
- Real-time trading desk tooling
- Futures, crypto and options datasets
- Data visualisation
- Reporting and monitoring tools
Nice to Haves
- Front-office buy-side experience
- Systematic trading environments
- Quant research support
- OMS / PMS platforms
- Distributed systems exposure
- Legacy platform modernisation
- SQL Server performance tuning
- Trading desk interaction
Why Join
You’ll be joining a small team with high engineering standards, working alongside some very sharp people who care about doing things properly. There’s a strong culture of peer review and technical debate, and you’ll have real ownership from day one. You’ll also be working directly with traders and senior leadership, so your work is closely tied to how the business performs. The problems themselves are genuinely interesting, centred around correctness in a concurrent, real-time environment rather than scale.
Benefits
- Bonus up to 100% (performance-based, genuinely paid)
- 25 days holiday + bank hols
- Pension
Principal SQL Developer employer: Prism Digital
Contact Detail:
Prism Digital Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal SQL Developer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, especially those already working at hedge funds or in trading tech. Use LinkedIn to connect and don’t be shy about asking for informational chats – you never know where a conversation might lead!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio of projects or contributions to open-source, make sure to highlight them. Create a GitHub profile showcasing your SQL Server and C#/.NET work, and share it during interviews to demonstrate your hands-on experience.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your SQL stored procedures and complex query optimisation. Practice coding challenges that focus on real-time data handling and concurrent environments, as these will likely come up in discussions with the team.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal SQL Developer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Principal SQL Developer role. Highlight your experience with SQL Server, C#/.NET, and any relevant projects that showcase your skills in concurrent SQL environments. We want to see how you can bring value to our trading desk!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about algorithmic trading and how your background aligns with our needs. We love seeing candidates who can connect their experiences to the role, so don’t hold back!
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills: In your application, be sure to include examples of how you've tackled complex data modelling or query optimisation challenges in the past. We’re looking for someone who can think critically and design effective solutions, so let us know how you’ve done this before!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at Prism Digital
✨Know Your SQL Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your SQL Server skills, especially around stored procedures and complex query optimisation. Be prepared to discuss specific examples of how you've tackled performance issues in concurrent SQL environments.
✨Understand the Business Context
Familiarise yourself with how trading desks operate and the role of data in decision-making. Being able to articulate how your technical skills can directly impact trading strategies will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Showcase Your C#/.NET Experience
Be ready to discuss your experience with C# and .NET, particularly in relation to building applications that interact with SQL databases. Highlight any projects where you've integrated these technologies in a real-time environment.
✨Engage with Technical Questions
Expect technical questions that test your problem-solving abilities in a high-pressure environment. Practice articulating your thought process clearly, as communication is key when working closely with traders and engineers.