Python Developer
Location: Charlotte, NC (2X a week on-site)
Position Type: Contract to hire
Job Summary:
The meeting focused on intake requirements for four mid-level Python automation engineers to support QA automation in a fixed income sales and trading platform environment. While final approval is still pending, the main roadblock has been removed, and approval is expected within 1โ2 weeks. The team plans to begin sourcing candidates now so they can move quickly once approved. The roles require strong Python skills plus deep recent fixed income/swaps domain expertise, as the hires will assess and potentially rebuild dysfunctional UI and API automation suites tied to the internal Polaris platform.
Required Skills and Experience
โข Python is mandatory
โข Candidates must have fixed income domain expertise, especially in:
- interest rate swaps
- caps/floors
- swaptions
- basis swaps
- cross-currency products
- inflation swaps
- related OTC derivatives
โข Candidates must understand:
- how trades/deal tickets are structured
- business validations for automated testing
- fixed income workflows in sales and trading systems
The most important differentiator is recent hands-on fixed income experience. Candidates who have been out of the space for 1.5โ2 years are unlikely to be a fit. H1B candidates are not being considered.
Technical Environment and Assessment
Existing and future frameworks are Python-based. Technical screening will use CoderPad. Interview test includes:
- writing a Python program
- troubleshooting/debugging a pre-made program
Technical test is about 1 hour. Interview process after approval:
- automation architect technical review
- final screening by hiring manager and colleague
- no in-person final interview currently planned
Key Topics
Hiring Status and Timing:
โข No roles have been officially approved yet
โข Approval is expected in about 1โ2 weeks
โข A prior blocker has been removed, and leadership will brief the new stakeholder
Role Scope:
โข Hiring for 4 automation engineers
โข Main responsibilities:
- Review existing UI and API automation suites
- Determine whether current automation is:
- salvageable
- partially reusable
- or should be fully replaced
- Analyze both:
- UI automation framework
- API automation framework
- Support a broader QA transformation effort
Business Context:
โข Work is tied to Polaris, a homegrown internal platform for swaps trading
โข Platform quality is currently a major issue:
- Monthly releases are followed by 6โ8 patch releases
- Production bugs are slipping through due to automation gaps
โข Parallel workstreams are planned:
- Manual testing improvements
- Automation suite remediation/rebuild
Contract Details:
โข Contract duration: up to 18 months, possible conversion typically after about 9 months
โข Location: Charlotte
โข Current in-office expectation: Monday and Thursday minimum, team expects office attendance may increase in the future
Candidate Profile Guidance:
โข Strong comparison profiles may come from similar sales and trading platform environments
โข Examples of comparable prior hires were shared for sourcing calibration
โข Relevant background may include firms such as Wells Fargo
Key Insights
โข Domain expertise is more critical than pure technical strength
โข These are not standard automation roles; hires must be able to interpret complex fixed income products and testing scenarios
โข The automation team will function like a SWAT team, quickly taking ownership of the existing automation repo and deciding how to remediate it
โข Current API test volume is large (~10,000 tests) but many are permutations of a smaller core set
โข There are approximately 500โ600 UI automated test cases to review
Decisions Made
โข Begin candidate sourcing immediately ahead of formal approval
โข Target candidates with:
- Python automation experience
- recent fixed income/swaps expertise
- ability to evaluate and triage existing automation frameworks
โข Use CoderPad-based Python assessment as part of the screening process
โข Submit candidates first through resumes/profiles and write-ups; move them into Fieldglass once narrowed for interview alignment
Next Steps
โข Hiring manager / leadership:
โข Meet with the new stakeholder and push for approval of the 4 roles
โข Expected timeline: within 1โ2 weeks
โข Recruiting team:
โข Start sourcing candidates immediately
โข Focus on profiles with:
- Python automation
- fixed income/swaps knowledge
- recent relevant domain immersion
โข Recruiting team and hiring manager:
โข Once approval is granted, align selected candidates to the appropriate Fieldglass requisitions
โข Begin technical screening and interview process quickly
โข Hiring team:
โข Run technical assessments through CoderPad
โข Conduct final screening after technical review