Sr. Director, Software Engineering & Architect

Senior Director, Software Engineering & Architect

TradeStation is the home of those born to trade. As an online brokerage firm and trading ecosystem, we are focused on delivering the ultimate trading experience for active traders and institutions. We continuously push the boundaries of what's possible, encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and relentlessly search for like-minded innovators. At TradeStation, we are building an AI-First culture. We expect team members to embrace AI as a core part of their daily workflow, whether that's using AI to accelerate development, enhance decision-making, improve client outcomes, or streamline internal processes. We treat AI as a partner in problem-solving, not just a tool; following our governance standards to ensure AI is used ethically, securely, and transparently. If you join us, you're joining a culture where AI is how we work.

We are seeking a visionary Senior Director, Software Engineering & Architect to provide strategic leadership and drive the evolution of our technology solutions. You will be instrumental in shaping the organization's technology roadmap, fostering innovation, and building a world-class engineering team. As a key member of the technology leadership team, you will collaborate with senior stakeholders to align technology initiatives with business objectives, ensuring our solutions deliver competitive advantage and drive sustainable growth.

What You'll Be Doing

• Architecture & Technical Leadership
• Team Leadership & Development
• Strategic Initiatives
• AI Integration & Strategy
• Innovation & Thought Leadership

The Skills You Bring

• Extensive experience building complex, mission-critical messaging systems, preferably in financial trading, OMS, or high-frequency transaction processing environments
• Hands-on track record as a solution architect overseeing large-scale cloud deployments (AWS preferred), microservices architectures, stateful event-driven systems, and real-time data pipelines
• Deep, demonstrable expertise in event streaming platforms (Apache Kafka, Kafka Streams, Confluent Platform) and event-driven architecture patterns including event sourcing, CQRS, and saga patterns
• Expert-level knowledge of Java performance optimization including GC tuning, thread/async management, concurrency patterns, and JVM diagnostics
• Extensive experience with relational and distributed database design, optimization, and tuning (Postgres, Redis, Kafka)
• Strong background in API design and implementation (REST, gRPC, FIX protocol), security best practices, and authentication/authorization frameworks
• Proven expertise in observability, monitoring, and operational excellence using tools like Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/OpenSearch
• Demonstrated leadership in code reviews, setting coding and architecture standards, and driving test automation and quality practices
• Strong understanding of margin/risk models, order workflow, trade execution, and post-trade processing for brokerage operations
• Experience working with third-party vendors, ideally in co-development or embedded models within regulated financial contexts
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strategic thinking ability to translate business requirements into scalable, innovative technology solutions
• Experience with Kubernetes orchestration, multi-region architecture, and hybrid deployment models (cloud/on-premises) preferred
• Hands-on experience with stream processing frameworks (Kafka Streams, Apache Flink, or similar), preferrable C++ experience preferred
• Involvement in open-source contributions, especially in cloud infrastructure, event streaming, market data processing, or risk analytics preferred
• Practical experience applying AI/ML techniques to backend systems for risk modeling, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, or operational efficiency preferred
• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance frameworks for financial transaction systems (SEC, FINRA, MiFID II, etc.) preferred
• Familiarity with additional financial protocols and standards (FIX, SWIFT, etc.) preferred
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, CloudFormation) and GitOps practices preferred

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years in software engineering

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field is preferred

What We Offer

• Collaborative work environment
• Competitive salaries
• Yearly bonus
• Comprehensive benefits for you and your family starting Day 1
• Unlimited paid time off
• Flexible working environment
• TradeStation account employee benefits, as well as full access to trading education materials
• Pay Range (US) $240-270K (Countries outside of the US have differing ranges in accordance with local labor markets)

TradeStation provides equal employment opportunities to current and prospective employees, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, disability, handicap, citizenship, veteran or marital status, or any other legally recognized status entitled to protection under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws.