Job Title: Principal Network
Engineer (HFT Trading Networks)
Location: Chicago, IL or New
York City, NY
Work Model: Onsite 4 days per week
Duration: Full-time
Job Description:
We
are seeking a Principal Network Engineer to serve as the technical
authority for our global, low-latency trading infrastructure. This role is
ideal for a seasoned network engineering leader with deep expertise in
designing, scaling, and optimizing highly distributed, latency-sensitive
environments across data centers, colocation facilities, and cloud platforms.
The
Principal Network Engineer will be responsible for defining the long-term
architecture and evolution of mission-critical trading networks, ensuring
deterministic packet forwarding, exceptional reliability, and ultra-low-latency
performance. This individual will operate as a hands-on technical leader,
partnering with Network Engineering leadership, Infrastructure teams, and
business stakeholders to drive strategic initiatives, influence architectural
decisions, and establish engineering best practices.
Direct
High-Frequency Trading (HFT) industry experience is required.
The
ideal candidate possesses expert-level routing and switching knowledge, strong
Python automation capabilities, experience with hybrid cloud networking, and a
proven track record supporting electronic trading environments where
microseconds matter. Candidates with a CCIE certification or equivalent
expertise are strongly preferred.
Key
Responsibilities
Network
Architecture & Design
- Design,
engineer, and evolve highly resilient, low-latency network architectures
supporting global trading operations.
- Develop
deterministic, scalable network solutions across data centers, co-location
facilities, exchange connectivity environments, and cloud platforms.
- Drive
architectural standards and long-term strategy for network scalability,
resiliency, and operational excellence.
Advanced
Routing & Infrastructure
- Lead the design
and implementation of complex routing solutions utilizing:
- BGP
- OSPF
- MPLS
- Multicast
(PIM-SM/SSM)
- Traffic
Engineering
- High
Availability Network Architectures
- Optimize network
performance, latency, jitter, and traffic flow across global environments.
Research,
Validation & Performance Engineering
- Conduct
proof-of-concept testing, lab validation, and technical evaluations of
emerging technologies.
- Analyze network
behavior, platform limitations, and hardware capabilities to improve
exchange connectivity and trading performance.
- Validate
architecture designs before production deployment to minimize operational
risk.
Project
Leadership
- Lead large-scale
network transformation initiatives from design through implementation.
- Develop detailed
technical designs, migration plans, implementation runbooks, and capacity
planning documentation.
- Own complex
technical challenges end-to-end with minimal oversight.
Network
Automation
- Design and
maintain Python-based network automation solutions for:
- Configuration
management
- Change
validation
- Compliance
verification
- Operational
efficiency
- Automated
testing
- Leverage both
API-driven and SSH-based automation methodologies.
Cross-Functional
Collaboration
- Partner with
Infrastructure, Security, Cloud, Application, and Trading teams to align
network capabilities with business objectives.
- Support
strategic planning, budgeting, and technology investment decisions related
to network infrastructure.
Technical
Leadership
- Act as a senior
technical mentor across the engineering organization.
- Lead
architecture reviews, establish engineering standards, and promote
knowledge sharing.
- Influence
technical direction without direct management responsibilities.
Monitoring
& Observability
- Define network
telemetry and observability standards.
- Utilize tools
such as Prometheus, Grafana, and similar platforms to improve visibility,
performance monitoring, and troubleshooting.
Documentation
& Compliance
- Develop and
maintain technical standards, architecture documentation, and operational
procedures.
- Contribute to
audit, compliance, and regulatory documentation, including materials
supporting SEC and related regulatory reviews.
Required
Qualifications
- 10+ years of
hands-on Network Engineering experience within mission-critical,
low-latency environments.
- Direct
experience supporting High-Frequency Trading (HFT), Electronic Trading,
Market Making, Proprietary Trading, or Capital Markets infrastructure.
- Deep expertise
in low-latency network design with extensive experience analyzing:
- Network latency
- Jitter
- Packet loss
- End-to-end
traffic behavior
- Expert-level
knowledge of:
- BGP
- OSPF
- MPLS
- Multicast
Technologies
- Global Network
Architecture
- Strong
experience with high-performance network platforms from vendors such as:
- Cisco
- Arista
- Juniper
- Experience
designing and supporting AWS networking solutions including:
- Direct Connect
- Transit Gateway
- VPC
Architecture
- Route
Integration
- Advanced Python
programming skills for network automation and operational tooling.
- Hands-on
experience with observability and telemetry platforms, including
Prometheus and Grafana.
- Strong
understanding of network security principles, segmentation, access
controls, and Zero Trust architecture.
- Proven track
record leading technical research, proof-of-concept initiatives, and
large-scale infrastructure projects.
- Outstanding
communication skills with the ability to explain architectural tradeoffs
and technical risk to both engineers and executive leadership.
- Experience
mentoring engineers and influencing engineering best practices across
organizations.
Preferred
Qualifications
- Cisco CCIE
(Routing & Switching, Enterprise Infrastructure, or Data Center).
- AWS Advanced
Networking Specialty Certification.
- Arista ACE,
Juniper JNCIE, or equivalent advanced networking certifications.
- Experience with
exchange connectivity networks and financial market infrastructure.
- Familiarity with
FPGA-enabled networking, market data distribution, and ultra-low latency
trading architectures.
- Exposure to
regulatory and compliance requirements within financial services
environments.
