Software Engineer — Observability Instrumentation in London

Software Engineer — Observability Instrumentation in London

London Full-Time 60000 - 80000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
United States Digital Space LLC

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Join our team to enhance observability in financial tech through innovative software solutions.
  • Company: Leading quantitative finance firm based in London, fostering a culture of exploration and collaboration.
  • Benefits: Competitive pay, generous leave, healthcare, and a fun work environment with monthly events.
  • Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for growth in AI engineering and cloud-native observability.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping tools that drive high-impact research and innovation.
  • Qualifications: Experience in C# or Python, OpenTelemetry, and a passion for problem-solving.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.

We tackle the most complex problems in quantitative finance, by bringing scientific clarity to financial complexity. From our London HQ, we unite world-class researchers and engineers in an environment that values deep exploration and methodical execution - because the best ideas take time to evolve. Together we’re building a world‑class platform to amplify our teams’ most powerful ideas. As part of our engineering team, you’ll shape the platforms and tools that drive high‑impact research - designing systems that scale, accelerate discovery and support innovation across the firm.

The Observability Engineering Team manages access to G‑Research’s telemetry platforms, ensuring our engineering teams can effectively produce and consume telemetry for their services. We are looking for a technically strong, customer‑focused Software Engineer to help make observability easier to adopt across the organisation. This role focuses on the producer side: instrumentation patterns, OpenTelemetry SDKs and the collector configurations that help teams emit consistent, high‑quality telemetry. This role is suited to someone who enjoys creating leverage through shared engineering patterns rather than building a single product feature set. You will use your engineering and emerging AI engineering skills to improve how teams instrument, understand and operate their services across the firm. You will help improve our service‑level visibility, working closely with application and infrastructure teams enabling golden paths for instrumentation across C#, Python and Kubernetes‑based services, and ongoing development of our observability capabilities.

Key responsibilities

  • Extending and maintaining OpenTelemetry SDKs, libraries and Collectors
  • Building and supporting instrumentation paths across Kubernetes and non‑Kubernetes workloads
  • Embedding observability standards across platform and application teams
  • Leveraging AI and AI assisted engineering to accelerate productivity and value
  • Scaling and improving our telemetry backend systems and pipelines
  • Improving incident response with better telemetry coverage
  • Participating on the out of hours on‑call rotation

Who are we looking for?

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience:

  • Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to turn standards into usable libraries, examples and guidance
  • Programming skills in C# and/or Python with a good understanding of software architecture
  • Hands‑on experience with OpenTelemetry SDKs, instrumentation and Collectors
  • Proficiency in Kubernetes and cloud‑native observability
  • Good understanding of metrics, logs and traces, and how they are used by engineering teams to debug and operate services
  • DevOps tooling experience using tools such as Terraform, ArgoCD, Helm or Jenkins
  • Interest in AI engineering and SRE practices to improve incident response and RCA

Desirable but not essential experience includes:

  • Prometheus/PromQL, VictoriaMetrics, OpenSearch, Grafana or similar observability backends
  • Auto‑instrumentation, distributed tracing, structured logging or trace/metric correlation
  • Kafka or telemetry pipeline architectures

Why should you apply?

  • Highly competitive compensation plus annual discretionary bonus
  • Lunch provided (via Just Eat for Business) and dedicated barista bar
  • 35 days’ annual leave
  • 9% company pension contributions
  • Informal dress code and excellent work/life balance
  • Comprehensive healthcare and life assurance
  • Cycle‑to‑work scheme
  • Monthly company events

Software Engineer — Observability Instrumentation in London employer: United States Digital Space LLC

At G-Research, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration in the heart of London. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through our comprehensive benefits package, including competitive compensation, generous annual leave, and opportunities for professional development. Join us to work alongside world-class researchers and engineers in a supportive environment that values your contributions and encourages exploration in the dynamic field of quantitative finance.

United States Digital Space LLC

Contact Details:

United States Digital Space LLC Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Software Engineer — Observability Instrumentation in London

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We think you need these skills to ace Software Engineer — Observability Instrumentation in London

Problem-Solving Skills
C# Programming
Python Programming
OpenTelemetry SDKs
Kubernetes
Cloud-Native Observability
Metrics, Logs and Traces Understanding

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 United States Digital Space LLC.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at United States Digital Space LLC 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 United States Digital Space LLC

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 United States Digital Space LLC 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.