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- Tasks: Lead the design and development of Forex trading applications in a dynamic banking environment.
- Company: Join Societe Generale, a top European financial services group with a rich history and global reach.
- Benefits: Enjoy a hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Be part of an innovative team reshaping Forex trading technology with a focus on impact and collaboration.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering, with expertise in FX trading platforms and strong leadership skills.
- Other info: Work in a supportive culture that values open-mindedness, community, and respect.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 84000 £ per year.
Lead FX Trading Platform Specialist (DIR)
Lead FX Trading Platform Specialist (DIR)
SOCIETE GENERALE London, United Kingdom Apply now Posted 5 days ago Hybrid Job Permanent Competitive
Lead FX Trading Platform Specialist (DIR)
SOCIETE GENERALE London, United Kingdom Apply now
Responsibilities
Lead FX Trading Platform Specialist (DIR)
Societe Generale is one of Europe\’s leading financial services groups and a major player in the economy for over 160 years, we support25 million clientsevery day with more than126,000 staffin65 countries
Our Group draws on our European roots to develop our business internationally. Our unique geographic positioning enables us to connect Europe and Africa with major global financial centres in Asia and the Americas.
The Group combinesfinancial strength, proven expertise in innovation and a sustainable growth strategywith the objective ofcreating value for all our stakeholders. We seek to be a trusted partner in the projects of those building tomorrow\’s world today.
About the team:
The aim of the Global Banking Technology & Operations unit (GBTO) is to deliver day-to-day services to GBIS Business Units and their clients. The IT teams within GBTO translate ideas into action by combining the strength of expertise in IT with a deep understanding of investment banking. While the Operations teams oversee processing and controlling transactions initiated by the GBIS business lines.
Within Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking (SGCIB), the Information Technology department is responsible for providing business units with their Information Systems. Based in London, one of Europe\’s leading financial marketplaces, you will join the Fixed Income & Currencies (FIC) team, which serves as a proximity business support unit for the FIC operations in London.
We are embarking on a multi-year project to revamp our Forex trading technology stack.
We are seeking an experienced IT Expert with a proven track record in designing, architecting and developing Forex trading applications within a major banking environment. This role will serve as an architect and technical leader role, responsible for refining and executing the IT vision, from market data aggregation and distribution, market making execution & hedging, client negotiation and order management. Hands-on experience in ultra low latency and high availability applications is required.
Summary of Key Purposes of the Role:
We are rebuilding our low latency Foreign ExchangeCash platform covering client connectivity, negotiation, price construction and streaming, trade execution and booking. You will be the senior technologist who shapes the architecture, leads hands on delivery, and mentors a multi-disciplinary squad.
The ideal candidate has already delivered FX Trading platforms for Tier 1 banks (eg FX Cash & Derivatives) or leading vendors, and can balance microsecond performance targets with resiliency, regulatory and operational requirements.
You will address functional and technical issues impacting pricing, electronic market contributions, negotiations, execution, hedging, order management and STP booking, while also being exposed to risk and P&L considerations.
Your key responsibilities will include:
• Lead the architectural design of Forex trading applications
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define and refine the vision for the Forex trading chain
• Oversee the implementation of low latency and high availability solutions
• Build & lead a local feature team on the build out of components of the new platform
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to the development team ensuring the build of a highly resilient, well monitored low latency platform
• Stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies related to Forex trading and banking
Responsibilities:
Architecture & Design
• Define the target micro service / event driven architecture (latency budget, throughput, HA & DR, observability).
• Own protocol & data model standards for client to venue and internal flows (eg FIX 4.4/5.0, REST/gRPC, protobuf, JSON)
Hands on Engineering
• Lead development of price engine, negotiation logic and execution gateways in the target architecture
• Implement ultra low latency market data handlers and multicast publishers
• Introduce automated performance regression harnesses and chaos testing
Integration & Deployment
• Provision of tooling to assist the onboarding of eFX clients via single dealer, RFQ and voice hybrid channels
• Champion CI/CD, GitOps, containerised deployment (Kubernetes, OpenShift)
Team Leadership
• Mentor 6-10 developers; run code/design reviews.
• Foster a culture of psychological safety, continuous learning and DevSecOps.
Stakeholder & Relationship Management
• Translate trading desk priorities into sprint backlogs.
• Partner with Sales, Quant, Compliance and Ops to align technical roadmaps with P&L objectives.
• Represent the platform in vendor forums and regulatory workshops.
Governance & Delivery Excellence
• Apply agile / scaled agile project management practices; track KPIs (latency, fill ratio, client adoption)
Profile required
• 10+ years software engineering in capital markets (minimum 5 in FX or Rates electronic trading).
• Track record delivering at least one production grade eFX cash platform (client flow to booked trade).
• Led teams of 5+ engineers across full SDLC.
• BSc/MSc in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics or equivalent.
• Domain Expertise – Deep understanding of FX pre-trade lifecycle, price construction, liquidity aggregation, streaming vs RFQ workflows, execution, hedging and order management. Achieved through hands on design & build of ultra low latency platforms
• Performance Engineering – Proven ability to squeeze microseconds, optimise GC/heap or lock free designs, and profile kernel/ NIC tuning
• Systemic Thinking – Designs for fail over, graceful degradation, 24×5.5 uptime
• Communication & Influence – Explains complex tech to non engineers, negotiates priorities with trading heads, and wins consensus across global teams
• People Leadership – Coaches seniors and juniors alike, builds inclusive culture, manages conflict constructively, works collaboratively between teams and regions
• Adaptability – Thrives in rapidly evolving regulatory, market structure and cyber security landscapes
• Proactive – proactive and enthusiastic attitude suitable for a team-oriented, 24×5 global setup
Technical skills
• Very strong knowledge of Forex products and workflows (market making, price distribution, algo execution & hedging, order management)
• Proven software development experience with expertise in ultra low latency / high availability platforms
• Proficiency in .net core
• Proven ability to develop clean, testable code
• Experience with Unix & Azure cloud hosting, postGre & oracle databases, gRPC, kafka, FIX, SBE middlewares, elk stack
• Languages & Paradigms: C# .NET 9, strong multithreading, async & lock free patterns
• Low Latency Tooling: Linux tuning, Solarflare/Mellanox Onload, TCP/UDP multicast
• Messaging & Data: FIX, binary encoded protocols (SBE, FAST), RTDS, gRPC, KAFKA, https api, udp
• Pipeline: github, Jenkins, TeamCity, Sonar, XLDeploy, Docker, Kubernetes
• Infra as code: Terraform, ansible, azure cloud
• Datastores: PostGre, OCP
• Observability: ELK, Grafana, OpenTelemetry
• Batch: airflow (python)
• Security & Compliance: TLS, OAuth2/OIDC, data masking, GDPR/MiFID controls
• Project & Process: Scrum / Kanban, backlog grooming, metrics driven retrospectives
Why join us
People join for the impact they can have on us. They stay for the impact we have on them. A flatter structure offers visibility and exposure beyond that of our competitors, so you know our names, and we know yours. It\’s personable, human, and inspires success through passion. By encouraging open mindedness and a willingness to share ideas, we have adapted to market changes and thrived through innovation. Bringing words like \”hard work\” and \”dedication\” together with \”community\” and \”respect\” has enabled us to work collaboratively and build our future together. We call this Team Spirit and it\’s what makes us different. It\’s what makes you different.
Business insight
If you feel you have the required experience and qualifications, then please apply to the SG Resourcing Team, and we will manage your application. At Société Générale, we believe our people are our strength and are core to the success of our business. As such, we search for, recruit and appoint the best available person on the basis of aptitude and ability, regardless of sex, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, pregnancy, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief or gender identity.
ABOUT COMPANY SOCIETE GENERALE London, United Kingdom 3600 Employees Investment Banking / M & A
Societe Generale is one of the leading European financial services groups. Based on a diversified and integrated banking model, the Group combines fin…
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Lead FX Trading Platform Specialist (DIR) | London, UK | Hybrid employer: Société Générale
Contact Detail:
Société Générale Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead FX Trading Platform Specialist (DIR) | London, UK | Hybrid
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in Forex trading technology. Understanding the current innovations and challenges in the field will not only help you during interviews but also demonstrate your genuine interest in the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the FX trading space, especially those who have experience in leading teams or projects. Engaging with industry experts can provide valuable insights and potentially lead to referrals.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your hands-on experience with ultra-low latency applications. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've optimised performance in previous roles, as this is a key requirement for the position.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase your leadership skills by highlighting any mentoring or team-building experiences. The role requires leading a multi-disciplinary squad, so demonstrating your ability to foster collaboration and growth within a team will be crucial.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead FX Trading Platform Specialist (DIR) | London, UK | Hybrid
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in FX trading platforms and software engineering. Focus on your achievements in low latency and high availability applications, as well as any leadership roles you've held.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for the role and the company. Mention specific projects or technologies you have worked with that align with the responsibilities outlined in the job description, such as microservice architecture or automated performance testing.
Showcase Technical Skills: Clearly list your technical skills related to Forex products, .NET Core, and any relevant tools like Kubernetes or Azure. Provide examples of how you've applied these skills in previous roles, particularly in delivering production-grade eFX cash platforms.
Highlight Leadership Experience: Since this role involves mentoring and leading a team, emphasise your experience in managing teams and fostering a collaborative environment. Share specific instances where you successfully guided a team through complex projects or challenges.
How to prepare for a job interview at Société Générale
✨Showcase Your Technical Expertise
Make sure to highlight your experience with ultra low latency and high availability applications. Be prepared to discuss specific projects where you designed or developed Forex trading platforms, focusing on the technical challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
✨Understand the Business Context
Demonstrate a deep understanding of the FX pre-trade lifecycle and the importance of price construction and liquidity aggregation. This will show that you can align technical solutions with business objectives, which is crucial for the role.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills in real-world scenarios. For instance, be ready to explain how you would handle a sudden market change affecting trade execution or how you would optimise system performance under pressure.
✨Emphasise Team Leadership Skills
Since this role involves mentoring a team, be prepared to discuss your leadership style and experiences. Share examples of how you've fostered a culture of collaboration and continuous learning within your teams.
