Front Office Software Engineer

About the Role:

We are seeking a Front Office Software with minimum 5 years of experience in systems engineering for front office & operations trading technology within cash equities.

Job Purpose:

This role designs, builds, and supports the trading and analytics applications the desk depends on daily. We build our own tooling, we own it end-to-end, and we hold it to the same standard as any production trading system. You will work directly with traders and operations staff, ship real software, and apply genuine engineering discipline - including structured AI-assisted development as a first-class part of the workflow.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, build, test, and support Python back-end services and React front-end applications covering order flow, position and risk views, trade analytics, and reporting - modelled explicitly around business domain concepts: OrderRouter, RiskGate, MarketDataFeed, Strategy, OMS.
• Maintain and extend FIX connectivity and order routing integrations across APAC venues; support Fidessa/Triton configuration, session management, and user troubleshooting.
• Design and own PostgreSQL and MSSQL schemas that accurately reflect trading domain models; write and tune queries supporting real-time and end-of-day analytics workflows; coordinate larger database work with the US team.
• Translate trader and operations requirements into clear specifications, walk stakeholders through design decisions, and communicate incident impact and resolution in plain language.
• Apply a structured TDD cycle without exception: spec sign-off, implementation plan sign-off, automated tests agreed and written before code, peer review of all output (human or LLM-generated), and continuous test execution covering functional correctness, non-functional behavior (latency, throughput, resilience), and code quality gates.
• Use Copilot and LLMs as a disciplined co-author operating inside that defined cycle-spec, sign off, implement, test, review, repeat. Unstructured vibe coding is not practiced here and will not be accepted in peer review.

Required Skills:

• Production Python: fully typed, mypy-strict, domain-modelled, Pythonic; dataclasses, Protocols, precise exception handling.
• Production React/TypeScript: strict mode, no `any`, clean async patterns, cohesive component design.
• FIX protocol: session lifecycle, order state management, drop copy, reconciliation, venue-side troubleshooting.
• Fidessa: hands-on support and integration experience in a live trading environment.
• PostgreSQL and MSSQL: relational schema design for trading workflows, query optimization, operational support.
• Genuine TDD discipline: unit-first, deterministic fixtures, meaningful assertions, coverage on critical paths. Demonstrable in a pair session, not just on a CV.
• Structured LLM co-design practice: the candidate must be able to articulate their workflow clearly and demonstrate it live.
• Shift Timings: Normal 8 hours + expectation for 07:00am start twice a week local time

Preferred Skills:

• Cash equities microstructure: tick sizes, lot rules, auction mechanics
• CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins or GitHub Actions), structured observability (logging, metrics, tracing), Docker/Kubernetes.

Must Have:

• Strong financial markets / trading technology experience, particularly Cash Equities
• Strong hands-on Python development
• Front-office trading systems knowledge and application development experience
• FIX protocol expertise
• Fidessa integration, implementation, or support experience
• Direct experience engaging with traders and business users
• Hands-on experience building and maintaining trading applications

Good to Have:

• SQL and Linux
• OMS / trading workflow experience
• Market data experience
• Futures, Options, and broader Capital Markets exposure
• Production support and trading-system troubleshooting experience
• Institutional equities experience

Preferred:

• Strong hands-on React / TypeScript development
• Current day-to-day coding responsibilities
• Demonstrable modern software engineering practices
• A profile combining software engineering depth + front-office trading domain expertise, rather than being predominantly production/support focused

Prioritize candidates who combine:

• Trading technology domain expertise.
• Modern Python development.
• React/TypeScript development.
• Fidessa integration and support experience.
• Direct experience building and maintaining trading applications