C++ Software Developer

About the Role

Our formula for success is to hire exceptional people, encourage their ideas and reward their results.

As a C++ Software Developer, you will have an opportunity to solve challenging engineering problems while working closely with experienced technologists, quantitative researchers, and traders to choose the right tools and solutions for the job. We will help you find a home on one of our teams, whether you employ your deep interest in C++ and systems programming to design, develop and maintain DRW's globally deployed low latency trading platform, or prototype our next generation of trading strategies while contributing to our full tech stack. You will be surrounded by cutting-edge technology and senior engineers and provided with the best possible environment to succeed at DRW. We are looking for creative problem solvers, natural programmers, and disciplined engineers eager to develop new technologies that directly impact our business.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Learn the inner workings of a low latency automated trading platform
• Learn the fundamentals of trading and how technology enables the workflow
• Design, develop and test proprietary software, including:
  • Low level optimizations for data processing
  • Automated trading strategies
  • Risk management platform
  • Adapters for exchange protocols
  • Real time trading simulator for strategy testing
  • Robust inter process communication mechanisms
• Collaborate with experienced teammates to learn and implement custom solutions that balance speed, features, and cost to improve our technology stack
• Work with researchers to implement research studies, simulate trading strategies, and develop algorithms to compete in financial markets
• Design trading strategy simulation software optimized for high fidelity and throughput
• Develop software for large scale data acquisition, storage, access, and visualization
• Create user interfaces for data exploration and post trade analysis
• Accelerate the research lifecycle from strategy prototype to production deployment

What You Bring to the Team

• A degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or any related engineering discipline graduating between December 2025 and June 2026 (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD)
• Excellent software development skills in modern C++
• A strong understanding of object-oriented design, data structures and algorithms
• A solid foundation in programming with the ability to think, communicate, and code clearly
• An eagerness to learn and apply what you have learned, and to know the impact of your code
• Strong problem-solving and analytical reasoning skills
• Strong communication and collaboration skills

Additional Points for Having

• Experience in high-performance, multi-threaded, network programming
• Previous exposure to trading systems or the trading industry
• Low level understanding of machine learning pipelines

About DRW

DRW is a diversified trading firm with over 3 decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. We value autonomy and the ability to quickly pivot to capture opportunities, so we operate using our own capital and trading at our own risk.

Headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we trade a variety of asset classes including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities and Energy across all major global markets. We have also leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non-traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital and cryptoassets.

We operate with respect, curiosity and open minds. The people who thrive here share our belief that it's not just what we do that matters--it's how we do it. DRW is a place of high expectations, integrity, innovation and a willingness to challenge consensus.

Compensation & Benefits

The annual base salary for this position is $175,000. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition, DRW offe