Remote Principal Software Engineer (Trading Platform, Java/C++)

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JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO BECOME THE #1 RETAIL TRADING PLATFORM IN THE WORLD

Welcome to the dynamic world of NinjaTrader! As an industry-leading trading platform and futures broker, were on a mission to empower traders to take control of their financial destiny. How do we do it? We provide cutting-edge products and services that enhance the trading journey. Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, NinjaTrader equips traders with award-winning software and brokerage services to navigate the worlds leading financial markets with confidence.

Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Over the last 20 years, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. In the last five years alone, our user base has grown by 400% to over 1.9 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide.

But were not stopping there. Were constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, and modernizing the futures industry. Our commitment to innovation means users will always have access to dynamic tools, real-time support, and a community of like-minded traders.

So, why work at NinjaTrader? Here, youre not just part of a team; youre part of a movement. We empower employees to reach new heights in their careers by providing a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives. Sounds too good to be true? Take it from our employees.

Join us as we redefine whats possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the worlds top retail-focused trading platform in the world.
What you’ll do:

In this pivotal role on our Trading Services team, you will design, evolve, and optimize our core trading infrastructure. You will help scale and enhance our highly scalable, low-latency trading system, ensuring it meets the highest standards of performance, scalability, and reliability. Your work will directly impact our ability to support rapid growth in the retail futures trading space.

In this role you will:

Design, develop, and optimize our Scala-based trading services for high-volume, low-latency, 24x7 environments

Lead architectural strategy for future-state scalability and performance optimization

Mentor and guide junior engineers, promoting best practices and technical excellence

Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, operations, and security teams to translate business requirements into robust and secure technical solutions

Optimize system performance, with focus on JVM tuning for Scala/Akka-based distributed system

Enhance monitoring and observability of services for real-time trade execution and operational transparency

Ensure compliance with security policies, regulatory standards, and industry best practices

What we look for:

Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)

Extensive experience with high-performance, high-concurrency distributed trading systems

Proven expertise in JVM and performance tuning for high-performance environments

Experience supporting 24/7 production systems, ideally in trading environments

Deep knowledge of networking and protocols ( WebSockets, DNS, TCP/IP)

Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)

Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills in high-pressure, real-time conditions

Excellent communication skills, capable of clearly articulating technical concepts to diverse stakeholders

Experience in Java/Scala/Rust/C++ or functional programming languages within exchange/trading environments

Bonus Points for:

Experience in low-latency, lock-free development and design

Strong experience with multithreading and concurrency in high-performance environments

Familiarity with binary or custom trading protocols

Strong knowledge of messaging frameworks (Kafka, RabbitMQ) and network protocols (UDP, TCP)

Hands-on experience implementing REST APIs, OAuth, gRPC, and Redis APIs

Deep understanding of order handling/matching engines

Extensive experience with FIX or other market data/order-entry protocols

Practical hands-on experience with cloud-native technologies (Kubernetes and Docker)

Solid grasp of network communications, particularly IP multicast and TCP protocols used in market data feeds

Compensation:

The salary range for this role will be $195,000.00 - $220,000.00 USD annually. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of up to 15%. 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. Additional details on our total compensation package and benefits are listed below.

Our Core Benefits Include:

Hybrid Schedule with Extra Remote Flexibility ( Totaling over 55% remote time )

Generous PTO

7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually

1 Service Day Annually

401k with 3.5% Company Match

Health, Vision, Dental Coverage

Life and Disability Insurance Covered 100% by NinjaTrader

Flexible Spending Accounts for Transit and Parking

Gym Membership

Location: This role is based in Chicago, IL. There may be remote flexibility for exceptional candidates in the following states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.

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.