Senior C++ Engineer

About The Role
We are hiring a senior, hands-on C++ engineer to build and optimize the low-latency hot path for a top-tier global trading firm (name shared under NDA). This is a headhunting search for one exceptional engineer, not a volume hire. You will own performance-critical trading and market-data systems in production, working alongside traders and quant researchers.
If you are motivated by genuinely cutting-edge, latency-obsessed engineering - not just comp - this is built for you.
Location and eligibility:
Fully remote from the UK (primary), Netherlands, or France
You must already hold the right to work in your country of residence (no sponsorship offered)
Engagement
12-month contract, convertible to a full-time/permanent role after 12 months by mutual agreement
Employment/engagement vehicle handled per country
Compensation
Highly competitive, benchmarked to top-of-market trading-firm rates for senior low-latency engineers
Exact range confirmed at screening
What You Will Do
Design, build, and optimize the low-latency hot path for automated/electronic trading in modern C++ (C++17/20)
Build and maintain market-data infrastructure: feed handlers, ticker plant, order-book construction, and normalization
Implement exchange connectivity and FIX-based order flow, including smart-order-routing components
Drive down tick-to-trade latency using lock-free data structures, cache- and NUMA-aware design, and kernel-bypass networking (Solarflare/Onload, DPDK)
Profile, measure, and eliminate latency and jitter across the full stack
Translate strategy and execution needs from traders and quants into performant, reliable production code
Own components end-to-end: reliability, observability, and incident response
Required
~6+ years of professional C++ engineering in production low-latency systems
Modern C++: C++17 minimum, C++20 preferred
Low-latency experience from traditional financial services: proprietary trading firm, market-maker, HFT shop, investment-bank e-trading desk, or systematic hedge fund
Direct market-data, feed-handler, or electronic-trading exposure
Hands-on with lock-free programming, multicast, low-level networking, and performance profiling
Comfortable with fully remote work and a 12-month contract structure
Nice to have
Kernel-bypass (Solarflare/Onload, DPDK) and NUMA/cache-aware design
Order book, ticker plant, smart-order-router, and exchange connectivity
Deep tenure in a single demanding low-latency environment
Not a fit
Low-latency C++ experience derived solely from crypto exchanges or crypto market-makers (traditional trading backgrounds required)
Purely academic or research C++ with no production low-latency systems
A pattern of very short tenures with no depth in one low-latency environment
Screening focuses on
~6+ years of professional C++ / low-latency engineering
Low-latency C++ built inside traditional financial services
Direct market-data, feed-handler, or electronic-trading experience
Current base in the UK, NL, or FR and openness to a remote 12-month contract
How we hire (AI transparency notice - EU AI Act & GDPR)
We Use AI-assisted Tools In Parts Of Our Recruitment Process, Including Candidate Sourcing And Initial Screening Support. In Line With The EU AI Act And GDPR, We Want You To Know
Human oversight: A qualified human makes every shortlisting, interview, and hiring decision. No candidate is rejected or advanced by an automated system alone.
No solely automated decisions: You will not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (GDPR Art. 22).
Transparency: You will be told when you are interacting with an AI system (for example, automated outreach or any AI-assisted assessment) and what it does.
No prohibited practices: We do not use emotion-recognition or biometric-categorization tools in hiring.
Fairness: Our screening is based on job-relevant skills and experience only; we monitor for and act against discriminatory outcomes.
Your rights: You may request human review of any AI-assisted step, an explanation of how it works, and access to or correction/deletion of your personal data. Contact us at any stage to exercise these rights.

Work arrangement
Yes