At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and optimise high-performance data platforms using kdb+ while mentoring junior developers.
- Company: Leading tech firm in London with a hybrid work model.
- Benefits: Competitive contract rate, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative Agile environment with a focus on continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Join a dynamic team and make a real impact in the financial tech space.
- Qualifications: 8+ years of kdb+ experience and strong q language skills required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
We are seeking an experienced Senior KDB+ Developer to design, develop, and optimize high-performance data platforms built on kdb+. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in kdb+ tick architecture, performance tuning at scale, and close collaboration with business stakeholders particularly within Risk functions to deliver robust, efficient, and maintainable solutions. This role also includes technical leadership, mentoring junior developers, and promoting best practices across the team.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and maintain kdb+ tick systems, with strong understanding of data organisation, schema design, and performance implications of different architectural approaches.
- Build and operate solutions handling large-scale, high-frequency datasets, ensuring low latency, high throughput, and efficient memory usage.
- Analyse and optimise q queries, data models, and ingestion pipelines for both real-time and historical workloads.
- Collaborate closely with Risk function teams to translate business requirements into efficient, scalable, and performant kdb+ solutions.
- Take ownership of performance diagnostics, including CPU, memory, disk I/O, and network considerations across kdb+ processes.
- Develop robust and reusable q libraries, utilities, and frameworks with a strong focus on clean, maintainable, and performant code.
- Drive continuous improvement through refactoring, performance benchmarking, and adoption of best practices.
- Mentor and guide junior and mid-level developers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, code quality, and knowledge sharing.
- Participate in design reviews, production support, and root cause analysis of complex system issues.
- Work collaboratively within an Agile or iterative delivery environment, contributing to design, implementation, testing, and release phases.
Required Skills & Experience
- 8+ years of hands-on experience in kdb+ development in a production environment.
- Strong expertise in q language, including table design (splayed, partitioned, segmented), in-memory vs on-disk trade-offs, efficient joins, aggregations, and windowed analytics.
- Deep understanding of kdb+ tick architecture, including ticker plant, RDB, HDB, and associated patterns.
- Proven experience working with large datasets and optimising queries for performance and scalability.
- Strong background in Unix/Linux environments, including shell scripting for automation, monitoring, and operational tooling.
- Solid understanding of software delivery processes and methodologies (Agile, CI/CD, version control, release management).
- Ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, demonstrating systematic reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Desirable / Nice-to-Have Skills
- Knowledge of inter-process communication mechanisms in kdb+ and integration with external systems.
- Experience tuning kdb+ systems for low latency and high availability.
- Familiarity with data quality checks, validation frameworks, and operational resilience patterns.
- Exposure to financial markets data (e.g., market data, trading, risk, or post-trade workflows, equity asset class).
Personal Attributes
- Passion for writing clean, efficient, and well-structured code.
- Proactive mindset with a strong focus on continuous improvement.
- Comfortable taking ownership and working independently on complex technical problems.
- Collaborative team player who enjoys mentoring others and raising overall technical standards.
Senior KDB+ Developer in West Bromwich employer: StackStudio Digital Ltd.
Contact Detail:
StackStudio Digital Ltd. Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior KDB+ Developer in West Bromwich
✨Network Like a Pro
Get out there and connect with folks in the industry! Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in the kdb+ space. You never know when a casual chat might lead to your next big opportunity.
✨Show Off Your Skills
Don’t just tell them you’re great at kdb+; show them! Consider building a small project or contributing to open-source work that highlights your expertise. This can be a fantastic way to demonstrate your skills and passion for the role.
✨Ace the Interview
Prepare for those technical interviews by brushing up on your q language and kdb+ architecture knowledge. Practice common interview questions and maybe even do some mock interviews with friends to build your confidence.
✨Apply Through Our Website
Make sure to apply through our website for the best chance of landing that Senior KDB+ Developer role. We love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior KDB+ Developer in West Bromwich
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your experience with kdb+ and any relevant projects you've worked on. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t be shy about showcasing your expertise in performance tuning and data architecture.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to tell us why you're the perfect fit for the Senior KDB+ Developer role. Share specific examples of your past work, especially those that demonstrate your ability to collaborate with business stakeholders and mentor others.
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills: In your application, highlight instances where you've tackled complex technical challenges. We love candidates who can think critically and come up with innovative solutions, especially in high-frequency data environments.
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 the StudySmarter team!
How to prepare for a job interview at StackStudio Digital Ltd.
✨Know Your KDB+ Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your kdb+ knowledge, especially around tick architecture and performance tuning. Be ready to discuss specific projects where you've optimised queries or handled large datasets, as this will show your hands-on experience.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share examples of how you've tackled complex technical issues in the past. Think about times when you had to analyse performance diagnostics or collaborate with stakeholders to deliver solutions. This will demonstrate your systematic reasoning and problem-solving abilities.
✨Emphasise Collaboration and Mentorship
Since the role involves mentoring junior developers, be ready to talk about your experience in guiding others. Share instances where you've fostered a culture of technical excellence and how you've contributed to team success through collaboration.
✨Be Agile and Adaptable
Familiarise yourself with Agile methodologies and be prepared to discuss how you've worked in iterative delivery environments. Highlight your experience with CI/CD processes and how you've adapted to changing requirements while maintaining code quality.