Skills

Leadership C# VBA SQL CI/CD DevOps Azure DevOps Problem-solving Architecture Cloud Architecture Autonomy SQL Server Azure Software Development Team Leadership .NET Microsoft Azure

Job Specifications

Head of Software Development – Trading Systems

Location: London (City) – Hybrid / Remote Options

We are a growing global financial trading firm seeking a senior, hands-on Software Engineer to take ownership of our in-house trading and brokerage platforms.

This is a high-impact leadership role reporting directly to the CEO/COO, offering direct exposure to executive management and genuine influence over long-term technology strategy.

You will assume responsibility for a mission-critical trading system used daily across Europe, the US and Asia, playing a central role in stabilising, enhancing and modernising our core infrastructure.

The Role

This position combines:

Hands-on development (C# / .NET)
System architecture ownership
Team leadership
Business-facing engagement with traders and senior stakeholders

You will lead the technical roadmap of our trading and booking platforms while ensuring resilience, scalability and operational stability in a live trading environment.

Key Responsibilities

Lead development and architectural direction of in-house trading systems
Contribute hands-on to coding and system enhancement
Oversee trade booking, lifecycle management, P&L and risk capture systems
Support messaging, integrations and reporting infrastructure
Provide senior-level production support in live trading environments
Manage and mentor a small development team (with planned growth)
Reduce key-person dependency through documentation and knowledge transfer
Drive modernisation initiatives, including migration from legacy technologies
Partner closely with trading teams and senior management

Technical Environment

C#
.NET Framework 4.7.2 (WinForms)
Microsoft SQL Server
RabbitMQ
In-house FIX engine
Microsoft Azure
Azure DevOps
Excel VBA-based tools
Fully in-house developed systems

Experience Required

Essential:

7–10+ years software development experience
Strong C# and .NET expertise
Experience maintaining and evolving legacy systems
Solid SQL Server and database design knowledge
Experience within trading, brokerage or financial services environments
Understanding of equity and/or derivatives trading workflows
Experience leading technical teams
Strong problem-solving capability in high-pressure environments

Highly Desirable:

Trading platform or booking system experience
FIX protocol knowledge
Experience migrating WinForms to modern architectures
Azure cloud architecture experience
CI/CD and automation exposure

Profile

We are looking for someone who is:

Commercially minded and pragmatic
Comfortable operating with autonomy and high responsibility
Able to balance production support with long-term strategic improvement
Confident communicating with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Motivated to build sustainable, long-term system ownership

What We Offer

Senior leadership position in a growing financial firm
Direct reporting line to executive management
Business-critical remit with genuine impact
Competitive compensation package
Flexible working arrangements
Opportunity to shape the long-term technology strategy of a global trading platform

About the Company

Marlin Selection was established to offer personal tailor-made solutions for recruitment within the Financial Services and Commodities industry. We recruit for Investment Banks, Oil Majors, Commodities Trading Houses and Asset Management firms. We specialise on the life cycle of a trade from origination to settlement and typical roles include: Marketing Sales Operations Origination Product Control Trade Control Risk Scheduling Settlements Trading Know more