I specialise in front office trading technology and quantitative finance recruitment. Feel free to drop me a line at katie.huang@bahpartners.com for a confidential chat.
Current hot roles in my book:
1. C++ Engineering (Ultra-Low-Latency & Core Trading Systems)
Organisation types: Prop trading firms, HFT shops, Buy-side hedge funds, Crypto market makers, Crypto exchanges
What theyre hiring:
o Ultra-low-latency C++ developers (connectivity, market data, execution)
o C++/Python quant developers for automated strategies
o Quant developers (C++/Python for trading research infrastructure)
Key requirements:
o Strong modern C++ (C++17/20), Linux, lock-free programming
o Real-time systems, exchange connectivity, feed handlers
o Experience in HFT, market making, or similar high-throughput environments
2. Java Engineering (Trading Infra, Risk, Exchange Systems)
Organisation types: Buy-side hedge funds, Investment banks, Crypto exchanges, Fintech trading platforms
What theyre hiring:
o Pre-trade risk engineering (Java, real-time validation systems)
o Core Java developers for exchange-level matching/settlement engines
o Backend & platform engineers for high-performance services (latency sensitive)
Key requirements:
o Low-latency Java, concurrency, performance optimisation
o Familiarity with Kafka, messaging systems, microservices
o Experience in trading, risk, or market data platforms
3. Python Engineering (Quant / Data / Infra / Vendor Data)
Organisation types: Buy-side hedge funds, Systematic prop firms, Crypto trading desks
What theyre hiring:
o Python quant developers (model implementation, research tooling)
o Data engineers (pipelines, ETL, vendor integration)
o Infra engineers supporting analytics and research platforms
Key requirements:
o Strong Python, SQL, data modelling
o Experience with large datasets, distributed systems
o Exposure to financial datasets, alt data, vendor APIs
4. Quantitative Roles (Research, Development, Trading)
Organisation types: HFT prop shops, Buy-side systematic funds, Options/vol desks, Crypto quant funds
What theyre hiring:
o Quant researchers (HFT, systematic, options, equities, futures)
o Portfolio managers running their own strategies
o Options/vol pricing engineers
Key requirements:
o PhD/MSc in quantitative fields
o Statistical modelling, optimisation, signal research
o High-quality programming (C++/Python/Julia)
o Market microstructure understanding for HFT roles
5. SRE / Platform / DevOps / Reliability Engineering
Organisation types: Prop shops, Buy-side hedge funds, Crypto exchanges, Trading infrastructure firms
What theyre hiring:
o SREs supporting real-time trading systems
o Cloud & on-prem platform engineers (Kubernetes, containerisation)
o Production reliability engineers (latency/performance tuning)
o On-call PRE roles in fast-paced trading environments
Key requirements:
o Linux depth, distributed systems, scripting
o Monitoring/observability (Prometheus, Grafana)
o Experience in production trading or mission-critical systems
6. Trading Operations & Application Support (Front Office Support)
Organisation types: Hedge funds, Banks, Crypto exchanges, HFT funds
What theyre hiring:
o Application support (L2/L3) for trading, risk, analytics
o Weekend risk associates
o Trade operations engineers
o End-to-end production support
Key requirements:
o Multi-asset trading knowledge
o Tech stack: Python/SQL, Linux, basic scripting
o Strong communication with FO traders/quants
7. Security & Network Engineering
Organisation types: Banks, Hedge funds, Prop firms, Crypto exchanges, Fintechs
What theyre hiring:
o Network security engineers (firewalls, IDS/IPS, low-latency networks)
o Security engineers (SOC, pen-test, incident response)
o Security/product architects
Key requirements:
o Security frameworks, vulnerability management
o Network protocols, low-latency infra understanding
o Experience in regulated or trading-critical environments