Senior FPGA Engineer

About Akuna: 

Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions, and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market maker – meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully, we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies, and mathematical models. 

Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, London, and Singapore. 

What you’ll do as a Senior FPGA Engineer at Akuna: 

We are looking for Senior FPGA Engineers to accelerate various portions of our trading platform. Members of the Hardware Development team will work with cutting-edge FPGA technology and high-performance computing architectures – owning projects end-to-end and making Akuna’s systems faster and smarter. In this role, you will: 

• Own projects - driving project progression from inception, requirements, architecture, design entry, timing closure and verification
• Partner closely with the Low Latency, Trading and other teams to foster and develop ideas that improve trading systems' performance and competitiveness
• Develop and maintain RTL in Verilog/SystemVerilog
• Write and maintain verification environments
• Design optimization for timing closure
• Develop and maintain project documentation 

Qualities that make great candidates: 

• 10+ years of experience in FPGA or ASIC digital logic design – network traffic experience a strong plus
• Deep Verilog/SystemVerilog or VHDL skills
• Solid grasp of static timing analysis, synthesis, and place-and-route tools  
• Familiarity with algorithms, data structures, and verification/unit testing workflows
• Python and Bash scripting fluency
• Enthusiasm for collaboration with other FPGA team members as well as members from software and trading teams
• Open mindedness for novel development approaches and architectures
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering, or related field; master’s degree a plus 
• The ability to react quickly and accurately to rapidly changing market conditions, including the ability to quickly and accurately respond and/or solve math and coding problems are essential functions of the role

In addition to technical skillsets, Akuna values the unique perspectives people can bring to the table to collaboratively solve complex problems and drive Akuna forward. We want everyone to feel empowered to apply. We welcome your application and encourage you to take the first steps toward your future with us!

In accordance with Illinois Equal Pay Act, the minimum base salary starts at $145,000. Exact compensation offered may vary based on many factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and skill set. This role is also eligible for a discretionary performance bonus as part of the total compensation package and includes a comprehensive benefits package that may encompass employer-paid medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, and other benefits. The minimum base salary herein was determined in good faith by Akuna Capital LLC.