Senior Java Engineer - Trade Capture

Chicago Trading Company (CTC) is a premier proprietary trading firm specializing in options market making.  Our collaborative culture fuels innovation in quantitative research, systematic trading strategies, and cutting-edge trading technology.  For over three decades CTC has provided critical liquidity across derivatives exchanges worldwide - making them fairer, more transparent, and more efficient.

We strive to be the most innovative firm in the industry today, tomorrow, and long into the future while upholding ethical excellence. We believe that CTC makes a positive impact on the markets, the lives of our employees, and all the communities to which we belong. Started in 1995 by a team of forward-thinking Traders, we are proud to call ourselves an industry leader that keeps making markets and each other better.

The Role

We are seeking a talented and experienced Senior Software Engineer to join our TAPE team at CTC. The TAPE team owns and operates the firm's critical trade and positions system, delivering real-time risk awareness and seamless integration across every trading desk in the organization. As a key contributor to TAPE - our next-generation platform engineered for enhanced scalability, volume capacity, and support for sophisticated trading strategies - you will drive the modernization of our core infrastructure. This role presents an exciting opportunity to tackle complex technical challenges in distributed architecture, high-throughput processing, and ultra-low latency systems, while collaborating closely with both your immediate TAPE team members and the broader technology organization. You'll be instrumental in shaping the future of our trade processing capabilities, working at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and critical financial infrastructure.

What you'll do

• Architect, develop, and maintain high-performance, resilient Java services to power TAPE's critical post-trade processing workflows, including trade capture and position aggregation, with a relentless focus on latency, throughput, and system correctness
• Engineer highly scalable distributed systems capable of processing millions of daily trades across multiple asset classes, with deep optimization at the JVM level - including garbage collection tuning, off-heap memory management, and lock-free/wait-free data structures to achieve predictable, ultra-low latency performance
• Drive deep performance engineering across the stack - profiling, benchmarking, and tuning JVM internals (JIT compilation, memory models, thread affinity, CPU cache optimization) to meet stringent SLAs.
• Work closely with engineers and stakeholders within the CTC technology team to ensure seamless integration across broader technology ecosystem.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams - including traders, quant developers, and other technical groups - to design, build, and enhance client APIs in Java, C++, and Python
• Leverage distributed caching solutions (e.g., Hazelcast, Oracle Coherence, or Redis) and container orchestration with Kubernetes to optimize system performance and reliability.
• Proactively monitor system health, diagnose performance bottlenecks, resolve production incidents, and maintain detailed technical documentation to support 24/7 operations and regulatory compliance.

What we are looking for

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Deep expertise in high-performance Java development in a high-volume, low-latency environment. Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience with:
• JVM internals (JIT compilation, class loading, memory layout, thread scheduling)
• GC tuning and GC-free design (ZGC, Shenandoah, off-heap allocation, object pooling)
• Lock-free and wait-free algorithms, concurrent data structures, and the Java Memory Model
• Strong expertise in distributed systems design - consistency models, fault tolerance, partitioning strategies, and distributed coordination.
• Solid understanding of distributed caching solutions (e.g., Hazelcast, Oracle Coherence, Redis) and their performance characteristics under load.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a proactive, rigorous approach to tackling complex technical challenges.

Nice to have

• Experience with post-trade processing systems including trade capture, position management, settlement workflows, and real-time risk calculations in capital markets environments.
• Understanding of trade lifecycle events, reconciliation processes, and integration between front-office trading systems and back-office settlement operations.
• Design and implement GC-free or GC-controlled Java components, leveraging technologies such as Chronicle Map, Agrona, or similar off-heap libraries to eliminate stop-the-world pauses in latency-sensitive processing paths.
• Proficiency in building and integrating APIs using Java, C++, and Python.

Most teams at CTC, with the exception of Trading, follow a hybrid workplace model, subject to change based on business need.

Our Benefits 

We strongly believe in the well-being of our employees and their families so we offer outstanding benefits to support you both professionally and personally. These benefits include generous time off, insurance coverage, paid parental leave, free breakfast and lunch (plus healthy snacks, of course), wellness reimbursement, and a variety of other benefits focused on providing the best employee experience. 

(Disclaimer: interns and contractors are not eligible for benefits at CTC) 

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At CTC, we aim to cultivate a workplace that celebrates diversity and each person feels included, engaged and empowered. Where each of us feels we belong. We are committed to having a diverse workforce and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. CTC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. 

If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or to apply for a position, please contact us at info@chicagotrading.com. Note that emails sent to this email account for non-disability related issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Information submitted by job applicants may be subject to review and analysis by automated systems, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), as part of the recruitment process. Such systems are utilized to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our hiring procedures. Applicants are advised that any information provided may be evaluated by AI tools to ensure an equitable and thorough assessment.