At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop cutting-edge C++ and Java services for FX trading platforms.
- Company: Join a leading financial technology firm with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy healthcare, retirement planning, paid volunteering days, and wellbeing initiatives.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values equal opportunities and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the fast-paced world of finance technology.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with strong C++ and Java skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
The Lead Software Engineer is a hands-on individual contributor responsible for designing, building, and operating mission-critical FX market infrastructure and matching platforms using C++ and Java. The role focuses on low-latency, high-throughput distributed systems with strict availability, resiliency, and data integrity requirements.
This role owns technical outcomes for complex components and services, influences architecture and platform evolution, and provides deep expertise across development, testing, and production support. While not a line-management role, it carries strong expectations for technical leadership, mentoring, and collaboration across engineering, architecture, and product teams.
What you’ll be doing
- Design, develop, and maintain C++ and Java services supporting FX matching and trading workflows.
- Own technical delivery for key platform components, ensuring alignment with LSEG architectural principles, performance standards, and operational controls.
- Build and evolve low-latency, high-availability systems handling high message volumes and time-critical processing.
- Ensure systems meet non-functional requirements, including latency, throughput, resiliency, fault tolerance, security, and observability.
- Contribute to system and solution architecture, participating in design reviews and providing pragmatic input on scalability and operability.
- Work closely with Product, QA, SRE, and Architecture teams to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions.
- Diagnose and resolve complex issues across production, QA, and client environments, including root-cause analysis of cross-system failures.
- Improve code quality and maintainability through clean design, automated testing, performance tuning, and controlled refactoring.
- Integrate and manage dependencies on messaging platforms, data distribution systems, and upstream/downstream market infrastructure.
- Evaluate and adopt suitable open-source and third-party technologies, ensuring they meet regulatory, security, and performance requirements.
- Provide technical mentoring through code reviews and design discussions across teams.
- Ensure adherence to SDLC standards, engineering best practices, and operational readiness requirements.
- Contribute recommendations that influence platform standards, engineering patterns, and architectural direction across FX technology.
What you’ll bring
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
- Strong hands-on experience in both C++ and Java, delivering production-grade systems.
- 10+ years of software engineering experience as a senior individual contributor.
- Proven delivery experience with low-latency, high-throughput, distributed systems, ideally in FX, trading, or matching platforms.
- Strong understanding of system integration, messaging, event-driven architectures, and data consistency.
- Experience working across the full SDLC, including design, development, automated testing, deployment, and production support.
- Familiarity with Linux, CI/CD pipelines, build systems, performance testing, and monitoring/alerting.
- Practical experience with cloud platforms, containerization, and open-source technologies.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to influence technical outcomes without formal authority.
- Up-to-date with modern engineering practices, tools, and industry trends.
Benefits
LSEG offers a range of tailored benefits and support, including healthcare, retirement planning, paid volunteering days, and wellbeing initiatives.
Equal Opportunities
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. This means that we do not discriminate on the basis of anyone’s race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. Conforming with applicable law, we can reasonably accommodate applicants’ and employees’ religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs.
Lead C++ / Java Developer in London employer: SwiftCruit
LSEG is an exceptional employer for Lead C++ / Java Developers, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and technical excellence. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, the company provides tailored benefits such as healthcare, retirement planning, and paid volunteering days, all while promoting a culture of collaboration and equal opportunities. Located in a vibrant tech hub, LSEG empowers its employees to influence architectural direction and engage in meaningful projects that shape the future of financial technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead C++ / Java Developer in London
✨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 SwiftCruit 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 SwiftCruit.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
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✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
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We think you need these skills to ace Lead C++ / Java Developer in London
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 SwiftCruit.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at SwiftCruit 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 SwiftCruit
✨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 SwiftCruit 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.
