Principal Software Engineer, Trading Systems

ChicagoPosted 10 days ago

Role Overview

Ninjatrader is hiring a Principal Software Engineer, Trading Systems. This is a full-time role in Chicago. Part of Ninjatrader's Trading hiring, posted last week. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.

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ScalaDockerKubernetesJenkinsGitHub ActionsRedisGitHubREST

Job description

Disclaimer: Please be advised that the most accurate and up-to-date information about our open roles—including job descriptions, compensation, and benefits—can only be guaranteed on our official job board. For the latest listings and details, please visit: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ninjatrader.

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, we're empowering 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 world's leading financial markets with confidence.

Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Since 2003, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. Through those efforts, our user base has grown to over 2 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide.

But we're not stopping there. We're 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, you're not just part of a team; you're 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 what's possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the world's 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:

Bachelor's 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 (HTTP/HTTPS, 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 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 HTTP/WebSockets, 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:

Generous PTO
7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually
1 Service Day Annually
401k with 3.5% Company Match
Paid Parental Bonding Leave
Health, Vision, Dental Coverage
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.

About Ninjatrader

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Principal Software Engineer, Trading Systems position at Ninjatrader?

Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Ninjatrader. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.

Where is the Principal Software Engineer, Trading Systems position at Ninjatrader located?

This position is based in Chicago. Ninjatrader has not indicated remote or hybrid options for this role, so candidates should plan for on-site work.

What does a Principal Software Engineer, Trading Systems at Ninjatrader earn?

Ninjatrader has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.

When was the Principal Software Engineer, Trading Systems role at Ninjatrader posted?

This role was posted on June 29, 2026 (10 days ago). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.