WhyHireWrong?

Senior C++ Engineer

France, United Kingdom full-time Senior Salary not listed
full-time Senior level Technology & IT Curated
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About the role

About the role:
We are hiring a senior, hands-on C++ engineer to build and optimize the low-latency hot path for a top-tier global trading firm (name shared under NDA). This is a headhunting search for one exceptional engineer, not a volume hire. You will own performance-critical trading and market-data systems in production, working alongside traders and quant researchers.

If you are motivated by genuinely cutting-edge, latency-obsessed engineering - not just comp - this is built for you.
Location and eligibility:

Fully remote from the UK (primary), Netherlands, or France
- You must already hold the right to work in your country of residence (no sponsorship offered)

Engagement:

12-month contract, convertible to a full-time/permanent role after 12 months by mutual agreement
- Employment/engagement vehicle handled per country

Compensation:

Highly competitive, benchmarked to top-of-market trading-firm rates for senior low-latency engineers

- Exact range confirmed at screening
What you will do:

Design, build, and optimize the low-latency hot path for automated/electronic trading in modern C++ (C++17/20)
- Build and maintain market-data infrastructure: feed handlers, ticker plant, order-book construction, and normalization
- Implement exchange connectivity and FIX-based order flow, including smart-order-routing components
- Drive down tick-to-trade latency using lock-free data structures, cache- and NUMA-aware design, and kernel-bypass networking (Solarflare/Onload, DPDK)
- Profile, measure, and eliminate latency and jitter across the full stack
- Translate strategy and execution needs from traders and quants into performant, reliable production code
- Own components end-to-end: reliability, observability, and incident response

Required

~6+ years of professional C++ engineering in production low-latency systems
- Modern C++: C++17 minimum, C++20 preferred
- Low-latency experience from traditional financial services: proprietary trading firm, market-maker, HFT shop, investment-bank e-trading desk, or systematic hedge fund
- Direct market-data, feed-handler, or electronic-trading exposure
- Hands-on with lock-free programming, multicast, low-level networking, and performance profiling
- Comfortable with fully remote work and a 12-month contract structure

Nice to have

Kernel-bypass (Solarflare/Onload, DPDK) and NUMA/cache-aware design
- Order book, ticker plant, smart-order-router, and exchange connectivity
- Deep tenure in a single demanding low-latency environment

Not a fit

Low-latency C++ experience derived solely from crypto exchanges or crypto market-makers (traditional trading backgrounds required)
- Purely academic or research C++ with no production low-latency systems
- A pattern of very short tenures with no depth in one low-latency environment

Screening focuses on
1. ~6+ years of professional C++ / low-latency engineering
2. Low-latency C++ built inside traditional financial services
3. Direct market-data, feed-handler, or electronic-trading experience
4. Current base in the UK, NL, or FR and openness to a remote 12-month contract

How we hire (AI transparency notice - EU AI Act & GDPR)
We use AI-assisted tools in parts of our recruitment process, including candidate sourcing and initial screening support. In line with the EU AI Act and GDPR, we want you to know:
- Human oversight: A qualified human makes every shortlisting, interview, and hiring decision. No candidate is rejected or advanced by an automated system alone.
- No solely automated decisions: You will not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (GDPR Art. 22).
- Transparency: You will be told when you are interacting with an AI system (for example, automated outreach or any AI-assisted assessment) and what it does.
- No prohibited practices: We do not use emotion-recognition or biometric-categorization tools in hiring.
- Fairness: Our screening is based on job-relevant skills and experience only; we monitor for and act against discriminatory outcomes.
- Your rights: You may request human review of any AI-assisted step, an explanation of how it works, and access to or correction/deletion of your personal data. Contact us at any stage to exercise these rights.
Originally posted on Himalayas

Interview prep

Walk in with sharper answers.

Use this as a quick practice sheet before you speak with the employer.

Senior
Technology & IT Human Resources Remote Collaboration Senior C++ Engineer Senior level

Likely questions

  1. Tell us about work you have done that is close to the Senior C++ Engineer role.
  2. How would you approach your first 30 days at WhyHireWrong??
  3. Which of Human Resources, Remote Collaboration and Senior have you used recently, and what did it help you achieve?
  4. How have you led people, improved a process, or made a hard decision in a previous role?
  5. How do you handle busy days, changing priorities, or pressure at work?

Prepare before the call

  • A recent example that proves your experience with Human Resources, Remote Collaboration and Senior.
  • One short story with a problem, your action, and the result.
  • Two examples that show the strengths listed on your CV.
  • A clear reason why this role and company interest you.
  • Your availability, preferred work style, and salary expectations.

Ask them

  • What would success look like in the first 90 days?
  • What are the main problems this hire should help solve?
  • How does the team give feedback and measure good work?
  • What does a normal working week look like for this role?
Practice line

I am interested in the Senior C++ Engineer role because I can bring practical experience in Human Resources, Remote Collaboration and Senior, learn the team quickly, and contribute to the outcomes WhyHireWrong? needs from this hire.

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