Senior C++ Software Engineer - Critical Engineering at Optiver

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated software engineer to join our Critical Engineering team based in Sydney. This position involves developing, maintaining, and enhancing the core systems that support Optiver's trading operations. As a key member of the team, you will work on building high-performance, low-latency applications that process large volumes of data and execute trades efficiently. Your contributions will directly impact the stability, reliability, and speed of our trading platform, which is crucial for maintaining our competitive edge in the financial markets. The role offers an exciting opportunity to solve complex technical challenges in a fast-paced environment, collaborating with talented engineers to deliver innovative solutions that support Optiver's global trading activities.

Key facts

- Location: Sydney, Australia
- Engagement: Full-time
- Team: Critical Engineering APAC

What you'll do

- Design, develop, and maintain critical components of the Critical Engineering platform, ensuring they meet high standards of performance and reliability.
- Lead cross-team projects to implement recent features, optimize existing systems, and improve overall platform stability.
- Write high-performance C++ code optimized for real-time trading systems that demand low latency and high throughput.
- Establish and uphold technical standards, making architectural decisions that ensure scalability, fault tolerance, and robustness of the systems.
- Collaborate closely with trading, infrastructure, and other engineering teams to translate complex business requirements into effective technical solutions.
- Oversee deployment processes, including automation and monitoring, to minimize risks and ensure smooth rollouts of updates and new features.
- Provide ongoing support for production systems, troubleshooting issues promptly to minimize downtime and impact on trading operations.
- Conduct code reviews, implement automated testing, and develop monitoring tools to maintain high code quality and system health.




- Drive continuous improvement initiatives by modernizing legacy systems, adopting new technologies, and refining development practices.
- Mentor junior engineers, sharing knowledge and best practices to foster a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
- Participate in incident management, root cause analysis, and capacity planning to ensure the platform remains resilient under varying market conditions.
- Contribute to documentation, technical specifications, and knowledge sharing to support team collaboration and onboarding of new engineers.
- Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices relevant to high-frequency trading systems and low-latency software development.

Requirements

- Proven proficiency in C++ programming, with the ability to produce high-quality, production-ready code from day one.
- Robust understanding of computer science fundamentals, including operating systems, data structures, algorithms, and networking protocols.
- Extensive experience working in Linux/Unix environments, with a solid grasp of system-level programming and performance tuning.
- Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python, used for automation, testing, or data analysis tasks.
- A minimum of 5 years of experience developing, deploying, and maintaining production software systems, preferably within financial trading or high-performance computing environments.
- Demonstrated ability to manage the entire software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering and design to implementation, testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, with a track record of tackling complex technical challenges and delivering reliable solutions.
- Strong communication skills,



capable of working effectively with cross-functional teams and translating technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
- Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced workplace, maintaining focus on quality and performance.
- Experience with version control systems, automated testing frameworks, and continuous integration/deployment pipelines.
- Knowledge of low-latency system design principles and performance optimization techniques.

Nice to have

- Experience with distributed systems architecture, including message queues, data replication, and fault-tolerant design.
- Familiarity with observability tools such as monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to ensure system health and performance.
- Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools to streamline deployment processes.
- Knowledge of relational databases or modern data storage solutions used in high-frequency trading environments.
- Understanding of the trading lifecycle for various financial instruments, including equities, derivatives, and fixed income products.
- Experience influencing architectural decisions and guiding technical strategy within a team or organization.
- Background in DevOps practices, including incident management, setting SLOs, and capacity planning to support scalable systems.

Skills & tools

- C++
- Linux/Unix
- Python (or similar scripting language)
- Distributed systems
- CI/CD tools

Practical notes

Optiver offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support our employees' well-being and professional growth. This includes a performance-based bonus structure, opportunities for ongoing training and development, daily meals provided on-site, gym memberships, and social events to foster team bonding. We also provide relocation assistance and visa sponsorship for suitable candidates moving from abroad. Our workplace promotes diversity and inclusion, and we encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds.

If you have any questions or wish to learn more about this role, please contact our recruitment team at

#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Senior C++ Software Engineer – Critical Engineering (City of Sydney)
🏢 Optiver
📍 City of Sydney