Description

How You Can Make an Impact 

The Chief Software Engineer (CSE) will provide architectural oversight and technical leadership to the software development teams at Geneva Trading. This person will lead initiatives to improve the efficiency and quality of our existing software while partnering with leaders across the organization to build a strategic software architecture vision and roadmap for the next generation of our platform. The CSE will be responsible for driving the success of our software development teams and be held accountable for consistently delivering solutions within the scheduled deadline that meet current and future business needs. This position requires the ability to drive team performance and build alignment across technology, strategy teams, and key business stakeholders.

The ideal candidate has significant leadership experience at a proprietary trading firm or hedge fund.

Strategy

• Partner with CTO and Executive Leadership to define the strategic vision and architecture for the next generation of Geneva’s trading platform and a suite of applications
• Build the software and integration roadmap for the platform with the goal of realizing the company’s vision through technology
• Understand the use cases (and/or user stories) in order to oversee the technical architecture and design of products with a focus on fast, flexible software that meets both current and future business needs
• Identify and lead cross-team, platform-level projects and initiatives with a focus on implementing solutions that continue to drive the business forward
• Provide top-level governance to both infrastructure and strategy software development teams including:
  • Ensure software is compliant with established policies and procedures
  • Ensure that all software meets requirements and firm-wide quality standards
  • Manage software technology risk across the firm
  • Lead initiatives to implement best practices and methodologies that enhance existing software development environments across the firm
  • Provide mentorship to teams and help them embrace change as new processes are introduced
• Communicate the company’s long-term software vision, roadmap, strategic objectives, and challenges to development teams, colleagues, user communities, and Executive leadership
• Effectively communicate the status of projects with clear, concise reports and metrics to all stakeholders – budgets, issues, delivery schedule modifications, reprioritization, etc.
• Perform R&D activities for solving immediate needs and future adaptations of new technologies

Leadership

• Champion development efforts across the firm and be the voice of development for the firm to Executive leadership
• Partner with CTO to establish annual software development budget and project-level budget forecasts
• Partner with PM on the creation of project plans with proper scope, completion estimates, and resources needed to ensure correct execution through all phases of the software development lifecycle
• Guide development teams across the firm with architectural and development direction – participate in design and code review sessions when necessary
• Identify areas of improvement in existing development environments, propose workable solutions, and challenge the status quo when necessary
• Work with stakeholders to develop and refine the requirement gathering process
• Lead development teams across the firm to solve issues that impact multiple applications; ensure the solution is well-defined and the impact on all applications are clearly understood by all stakeholders
• Implement mechanisms to monitor, manage, and provide progress on all software development activities with the goal of consistent on-time delivery of projects; work with development teams to resolve issues that impede delivery estimation
• Create, implement and maintain a continuous improvement plan for software development across the firm
• Review exchange notices and API documentation to guide maintenance, priorities, and optimal implementation across the platform

Management   

• Manage the infrastructure development team. Responsibilities include:
  • Recruiting and hiring top technical talent across the firm
  • Driving daily performance through goals, metrics, and accountability
  • Professional development and mentorship
  • Facilitation of knowledge sharing among team members
  • Mediation and conflict resolution
  • Performance management and annual reviews
  • Compensation conversations
  • Succession planning
• Enable software developers across the firm by empowering them through an atmosphere of transparency
• Facilitate engagement by clearly communicating the company’s vision, mission, values, and strategic objectives to help employees understand the broader context and impact of their efforts at the organization
• Continue to build a software development environment that fosters a collaborative, results-oriented culture

 What You'll Need 

• MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Engineering, or another STEM-related field of study
• 10+ years of successful experience leading software engineering or architecture teams within a proprietary trading or hedge fund organization
• Demonstrated experience with hands-on, large-scale software development and architecture projects in a high-performance, low-latency trading environment; familiar with the trade-offs between performance, architecture, and code is critical
• Demonstrated knowledge of commodities and futures markets; prior experience with options and equity markets a plus
• Demonstrated experience with solving complex development/architecture problems and driving them to completion
• High level of competence in the following areas: C++, TCP stack optimization, Low-level performance, Cache, Profiling, Exchange Connectivity, etc.
• Proven leader with the ability to build trust and credibility at all levels of the organization
• Excellent communicator with a demonstrated background of driving performance, building consensus, and presenting complex technical information to a variety of audiences across the organization
• Highly self-directed and able to manage and prioritize multiple concurrent challenges, issues, ambiguities, and contradiction

Who We Are 

Geneva Trading LLC is a global principal trading firm founded in 1999 with offices in Chicago and Dublin. Our dedication to the improvement and optimization of our best-in-class proprietary technology allows our firm to compete on all levels in the global trading industry. We pride ourselves on a collaborative culture of integrity, trust, passion, and dedication to personal excellence. Our flat organizational structure and casual environment attracts individuals with the drive to innovate and has led to our consistent success. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.