Job Description

OVERVIEW

The kdb+/q Developer will play a pivotal role in the early-stage buildout of the kdb+ platform, which is currently being shaped for the fixed income ETF desk and other trading groups. This position involves taking ownership of the real-time and historical market data infrastructure, with an immediate focus on migrating the existing OneTick estate onto the kdb+ tick architecture. As a full-stack developer, you will manage every component of the stack, including tickerplant, RDB, HDB, gateways, feedhandlers, and the pricing pipeline.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in kdb+/q and will work closely with quant traders to understand their needs for pricing and trading. You will be responsible for designing and operating a multi-terabyte HDB, maintaining feedhandlers, and ensuring the quality of the codebase. This role offers a unique opportunity to gain direct exposure to data, pricing models, and algorithms, while also providing a clear path to a permanent position for the right individual.

Location: NY

Pay: W2 $95

Contract Length: Initial contract with a clear path to a permanent position

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Architect, extend, and harden the kdb+ tick stack, including tickerplant, RDB, HDB, gateways, and feedhandlers.
• Lead the migration from OneTick to kdb+, focusing on data model, historical backfill, feed cutover, user migration, and decommissioning.
• Maintain and occasionally extend feedhandlers for market data vendors such as Bloomberg B-PIPE, MarketAxess CP+, IHS Markit, and LSEG, as well as internal fair-value feeds.
• Own the fair value and pricing data pipeline, along with the analytics that support it.
• Design and operate a multi-terabyte HDB, managing partitioning, symbol management, compression, load balancing, and query performance at approximately 100 GB/day.
• Collaborate directly with traders and quants across the ETF desk and other groups to gather requirements, prototype solutions, and produce analytics; transform desk inquiries into robust, reusable q code.
• Oversee the release and deployment process for the platform.
• Provide production support for the data platform, including incident response and root-cause analysis.
• Establish standards for code quality, testing, and documentation across the q codebase.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of production experience with kdb+/q in sell-side or buy-side trading infrastructure.
• Deep understanding of kdb+/q, including the language, memory model, IPC, and performance optimization at scale.
• Strong foundation in software development principles, including testing, modular design, code review, and documentation.
• Comprehensive knowledge of tick architecture, including tickerplant/RDB/HDB topology, feedhandlers, gateways, entitlements, and log replay.
• Ability to write clean, well-structured, and maintainable q code, focusing on quality over mere functionality.
• Proficient in Git and solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Capable of delivering high-quality code in a fast-paced trading environment, ensuring rapid deployment without compromising standards.
• Strong Linux and bash skills, with experience in running production processes, scripting operational tools, and debugging at the OS level.
• Experience working directly with front-office users, demonstrating clear communication skills with traders under time pressure.
• Ownership mindset, comfortable being accountable for the platform end-to-end and navigating the ambiguity of a developing system.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Proficiency in kdb+/q programming language.
• Experience with tickerplant, RDB, HDB, and associated architectures.
• Strong skills in Linux and bash scripting.
• Familiarity with cloud deployment of kdb+, particularly on AWS, is a plus.

PREFERRED

• Exposure to cloud deployment of kdb+ (AWS).

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or other non-merit factor. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees.