Senior C++ Developer (HFT)
Our client is at the forefront of digital finance, building cutting-edge platforms for crypto and FX trading. Backed by deep expertise in regulated financial markets, they've established a global reputation for innovation and reliability in trading infrastructure. To support their next phase of growth, they are looking for a Senior C++ Developer to join their high-performing engineering team in the UAE.
Role Requirement
We're seeking an experienced and highly capable Senior C++ Developer to help drive the development of our client's ultra-low-latency trading stack across global exchanges and key APAC markets. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in high-pressure, high-frequency environments and is passionate about pushing performance boundaries, owning core components of exchange connectivity, market data pipelines, and execution systems while collaborating closely with quants and traders to consistently achieve microsecond-level execution under real-world production loads.
*Please this is an onsite opportunity, relocation to Dubai, UAE would be needed.
Responsibilities
- Develop, refine, and support high-performance C++ connectivity modules for top global and regional exchanges, working with native market protocols (e.g., ITCH, OUCH, FIX) where required.
- Engineer and enhance market data processing pipelines for full order-book depth (L2/L3), including fast parsing, data normalization, and highly efficient in-memory book management across multiple asset classes such as equities, derivatives, FX, and more.
- Build reliable order-handling components covering submissions, modifications, cancellations, and pre-trade risk validation for a wide range of venues and tradable products.
- Build and refine advanced C++ (C++17/20) modules that power:
- Core matching and execution workflows
- Pricing, quoting, and automated hedging strategies
- Live risk calculations and real-time PnL tracking
- Drive ultra-low-latency performance by applying:
- Lock-free and wait-free concurrency patterns
- Memory-optimized, cache-efficient data layouts
- Smart batching techniques and streamlined system interactions
- Hardware-level optimizations, including NIC tuning, busy-polling, CPU affinity, and NUMA-aligned processing
- Conduct comprehensive end-to-end performance analysis across the entire trading pipeline - from market data ingestion through strategy evaluation to order transmission and exchange acknowledgments - identifying and eliminating latency hotspots.
- Maintain consistently high throughput and predictable response times during peak market activity, including session opens, closes, auction periods, and volatility-driven events.
- Develop latency-focused observability tools, including detailed monitoring, granular logging, and alerting systems that track queue utilization, message flow rates, and system timing behavior.
- Play a key role in shaping the broader trading platform architecture, including service components, internal messaging flows, deployment strategies, and resilience patterns for handling faults.
- Take responsibility for the complete engineering cyclefrom initial design and coding through validation, rollout, and ongoing operational support.
- Uphold high code-quality standards by delivering maintainable, well-structured C++ modules backed by unit tests, integration suites, and exchange-level simulations using replays, synthetic load scenarios, and stress benchmarks.
- Collaborate with quantitative analysts and trading teams to transform algorithmic strategies into high-performance, production-grade implementations.
- Coordinate with DevOps and SRE teams on colocated system deployments, scalability planning, and fault-tolerant design.
- Guide and mentor junior engineers on topics including latency optimization, performance tuning, and understanding exchange microstructure.
Qualifications
- Over 6 years of professional software development experience, including a minimum of 4 years working with modern C++ (C++14/17/20) in Linux environments.
- Demonstrated expertise building ultra-low-latency trading or market-making platforms across asset classes such as equities, derivatives, options, or FX.
- Deep understanding of multithreading and concurrent programming, including lock-free and wait-free techniques.
- Experienced in network development with TCP/UDP, multicast, and non-blocking I/O patterns.
- Skilled in system-level performance optimization, covering CPU cache management, NUMA architecture, custom memory allocation, and thread affinity.
- Practical experience integrating with exchange systems, including native protocols and FIX interfaces.
- Proficient in managing the complete order lifecycle, from submission and modification to cancellation and bulk order operations.
- Skilled in building real-time market data pipelines, handling full-depth order books, trade feeds, and reference data efficiently.
- Experienced operating in regulated financial settings, with awareness of risk frameworks, compliance requirements, and market regulations.
- Solid grasp of data structures, algorithms, and computational complexity, with an emphasis on high-performance solutions.
- Highly skilled at diagnosing and resolving issues in complex, distributed, real-time trading systems.
Advantageous
- Hands-on experience working with FIX engines or third-party vendor SDKs such as OnixS, TT, MaxxTrader, or BidFX.
- Knowledge of APAC exchange microstructure, including auction processes, order types, and tick-size conventions.
- Experience in quantitative research, including signal generation, statistical arbitrage, and applying machine learning techniques to order book data.
- Proficient in Python for building research tools, backtesting frameworks, and automation scripts.
- Familiarity with precise time synchronization technologies, including PTP and GPS-based systems.
- Experience deploying and operating systems in colocation setups within major exchange data centers.
- Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, containerization, Kubernetes orchestration, and high-throughput messaging frameworks such as Aeron or custom UDP multicast solutions.
This is an exceptional opportunity to work with a world-class team.
Salary: Highly competitive, in line with experience and market standards.
To apply, please submit your CV via the link.
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