Sr. Software Engineer II, Exchange Connectivity Chicago, IL

Sr. Software Engineer II, Exchange Connectivity Chicago, IL Responsibilities: We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Sr. Software Engineer II with deep expertise in exchange connectivity and high-performance trading systems. This is a high-impact role focused on interfacing directly with multiple exchanges, handling real-time market data, order routing, and trade processing with low latency and high reliability. You’ll be part of the Exchange Connectivity team, owning the software that communicates directly with exchanges worldwide. Design, implement, and support exchange connectivity components across multiple asset classes and protocols Develop and maintain market data handlers, order gateways, and contract/instrument reference data processors Create APIs to expose exchange services to the broader organization via REST, WebSocket, event bus, or other mechanisms Collaborate closely with the Trading OMS, FCM, and infrastructure teams Optimize for low latency, high throughput, and fault tolerance across all trading and data flows Qualifications 8+ years of experience in the trading industry, ideally with C++ or Rust Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field Proven experience building exchange connectivity and market data systems across multiple venues Strong understanding of network programming, multicast UDP, TCP, and asynchronous I/O Deep knowledge of trading industry specifications (FIX, SBE, market data formats, etc.) Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to mentor others and drive change across teams Experience supporting live trading systems in production — diagnosing connectivity issues, latency anomalies, and failover events Strong sense of ownership, with the ability to deliver robust, tested, and observable software in mission-critical environments Bonus Points for: Performance profiling and tuning using perf, VTune, Wireshark, or similar tools to analyze and reduce latency Low-latency systems development with deep experience optimizing for performance, throughput, and determinism in production trading environments Building and maintaining real-time feed handlers for exchange protocols (ITCH, OUCH, FIX/FAST, CME MDP, Eurex ETI, etc.) Familiarity with U.S. and international exchange APIs and connectivity protocols (CME, ICE, Eurex, CBOE, Binance, etc.) Expert-level Linux knowledge, including performance tuning, kernel parameters, NUMA, and clock synchronization (PTP) Building resilient distributed systems that handle failover, recovery, and state synchronization Expertise in concurrency, multi-threading, and asynchronous programming Familiarity with IBM MQ for exchange data transfer Experience with low-latency networking, kernel bypass, or FPGA acceleration Compensation The salary range for this role will be $140,000-$190,000 USD. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of 10%. Bonus pay at NinjaTrader is based on individual performance (50%) as well as company/team performance (50%). Salary and bonus earnings are only two components of the total compensation package offered by NinjaTrader. NinjaTrader offers a 401(k) plan through ADP under which the company will match up to 3.5% of employee contributions. Annual paid time off allowance accrues at a rate of 18 days per year plus seven paid holidays. Location This role is based in Chicago, IL. We are not open to remote candidates for this role. Hybrid For Chicago-based employees, we follow a hybrid work schedule: In-office Tuesday through Thursday, with remote work on Mondays and Fridays. In addition to these weekly remote days, we offer: 20 additional flex remote days annually 5 Company Wide Office-Optional weeks tied to major holidays Our Core Benefits Include Generous PTO 7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually 1 Service Day Annually 401k with 3.5% Company Match Life and Disability Insurance Covered 100% by NinjaTrader We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. #J-18808-Ljbffr NinjaTrader Group