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Developer Trading Systems Jobs (NOW HIRING)

From day one, you will work closely with traders and engineers on the trading floor, staying close to critical systems and the people who rely on them. Whether you're resolving urgent production ...

Trade Operations Engineer - Tribus

Chicago, IL · On-site

$71K - $96K/yr

Monitor and manage live production trading systems, ensuring stability and risk control. * Triage ... Collaborate with developers, traders, and engineers to maintain seamless operations. * Provide ...

Java trading system developer

New York, NY

$55.75 - $72.25/hr

Senior Server side Java developers to develop and implement real-time electronic trading systems Required skills: - Multi-threaded server systems (understanding of concurrency issues) - Extremely ...

$109K - $149K/yr

Expert-level proficiency in C++ or Rust programming. * Strong background in high-frequency trading (HFT) or market making. * Experience with low-latency system design and optimization. * Solid ...

Showing results 41-60

Developer Trading Systems information

See salary details

$41K

$147.4K

$217K

How much do developer trading systems jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for developer trading systems in the United States is $147,367.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $117,500.00 and $173,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a developer trading systems, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Developer Trading Systems, you need strong programming skills (typically in C++, Java, or Python), a solid understanding of algorithms, and a background in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with financial trading platforms, low-latency systems, and experience using tools like FIX protocol and database systems are highly valued, along with relevant certifications such as CFA or FRM as a plus. Exceptional problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly are important soft skills. These competencies ensure the reliability, speed, and accuracy of trading systems critical to financial market operations.

What is the difference between Developer Trading Systems vs Quantitative Analyst?

AspectDeveloper Trading SystemsQuantitative Analyst
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Computer Science, Finance, or related field; programming skillsBachelor's or higher in Mathematics, Statistics, or Finance; strong analytical skills
Work EnvironmentFinancial firms, trading firms, tech companies; focus on software developmentFinancial institutions, hedge funds; focus on data analysis and modeling
Employer & Industry UsageUsed to develop trading platforms, algorithms, and toolsUsed to create models, risk assessments, and trading strategies

While both roles operate within the finance industry and require quantitative skills, Developer Trading Systems primarily focus on building and maintaining trading software, whereas Quantitative Analysts develop models and strategies to inform trading decisions. Both roles often collaborate but serve different core functions within financial firms.

What are some unique challenges a developer trading systems might face when working on real-time financial applications?

As a Developer in Trading Systems, you’ll often deal with the challenge of building and maintaining highly reliable, low-latency software that processes large volumes of financial data in real time. Ensuring system stability and minimizing downtime are critical, as even minor delays or outages can have significant financial impacts. Additionally, you’ll need to stay up to date with regulatory requirements and collaborate closely with traders, quantitative analysts, and infrastructure teams to quickly adapt to market changes and new strategies. Balancing system performance with security and compliance is a key part of the role.

What is a developer trading system?

Developer Trading Systems are specialized software engineers who design, develop, and maintain the technology platforms and applications that enable electronic trading in financial markets. They work closely with traders, quantitative analysts, and other IT professionals to build systems that support the fast-paced and data-intensive needs of trading floors. Their responsibilities include optimizing system performance, ensuring low latency, and maintaining high reliability to facilitate trading strategies. These developers typically have strong programming skills and a solid understanding of financial markets.
More about Developer Trading Systems jobs
What cities are hiring for Developer Trading Systems jobs? Cities with the most Developer Trading Systems job openings:
Infographic showing various Developer Trading Systems job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 85% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 4% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,367 per year, or $70.8 per hour.

Principal Software Engineer, Trading Systems

NinjaTrader

Chicago, IL • On-site

$195K - $220K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 13 days ago


Job description

What you'll do:

In this pivotal role on our Trading Services team, you will design, evolve, and optimize our core trading infrastructure. You will help scale and enhance our highly scalable, low-latency trading system, ensuring it meets the highest standards of performance, scalability, and reliability. Your work will directly impact our ability to support rapid growth in the retail futures trading space.

In this role you will:

  • Design, develop, and optimize our Scala-based trading services for high-volume, low-latency, 24x7 environments
  • Lead architectural strategy for future-state scalability and performance optimization
  • Mentor and guide junior engineers, promoting best practices and technical excellence
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, operations, and security teams to translate business requirements into robust and secure technical solutions
  • Optimize system performance, with focus on JVM tuning for Scala/Akka-based distributed system
  • Enhance monitoring and observability of services for real-time trade execution and operational transparency
  • Ensure compliance with security policies, regulatory standards, and industry best practices

What we look for:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)
  • Extensive experience with high-performance, high-concurrency distributed trading systems
  • Proven expertise in JVM and performance tuning for high-performance environments
  • Experience supporting 24/7 production systems, ideally in trading environments
  • Deep knowledge of networking and protocols (HTTP/HTTPS, WebSockets, DNS, TCP/IP)
  • Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)
  • Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills in high-pressure, real-time conditions
  • Excellent communication skills, capable of clearly articulating technical concepts to diverse stakeholders
  • Experience in functional programming languages within exchange/trading environments

Bonus Points for:

  • Experience in low-latency, lock-free development and design
  • Strong experience with multithreading and concurrency in high-performance environments
  • Familiarity with binary or custom trading protocols
  • Strong knowledge of messaging frameworks (Kafka, RabbitMQ) and network protocols (UDP, TCP)
  • Hands-on experience implementing HTTP/WebSockets, REST APIs, OAuth, gRPC, and Redis APIs
  • Deep understanding of order handling/matching engines
  • Extensive experience with FIX or other market data/order-entry protocols
  • Practical hands-on experience with cloud-native technologies (Kubernetes and Docker)
  • Solid grasp of network communications, particularly IP multicast and TCP protocols used in market data feeds

Compensation:

The salary range for this role will be $195,000.00 - $220,000.00 USD annually. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of up to 15%. Bonus pay at NinjaTrader is based on individual performance (50%) as well as company/team performance (50%).

Salary and bonus earnings are only two components of the total compensation package offered by NinjaTrader. Additional details on our total compensation package and benefits are listed below.