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Graduate Hardware Engineer

IMC Trading · Chicago, IL · Development (Group)

Posted Sep 30, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a project you took from idea to a working result. What was hardest?

What they are checking: Ability to drive projects from ideation to production, which the posting describes.

Tell me about a time you had to learn something technical very quickly.

What they are checking: Learning speed, since the role covers trading, system design and coding all at once.

How have you used C++ or Python alongside your hardware work?

What they are checking: Software skills that help with testing, tooling and the hardware-software boundary.

What interests you about financial markets?

What they are checking: Real curiosity about trading, since the posting values interest even without prior knowledge.

What would you do

A trader wants a feature added to the FPGA that would add latency. How do you discuss it?

What they are checking: Whether they can work with non-engineers and explain hardware tradeoffs clearly.

Your design fails timing by a small margin. What are your options?

What they are checking: Practical timing closure thinking like pipelining, logic restructuring and constraints.

About the work

Design a FIFO in SystemVerilog and explain how you'd handle full and empty conditions.

What they are checking: Solid RTL skill on a building block used everywhere in hardware designs.

How would you reduce latency through a pipeline that parses network packets in an FPGA?

What they are checking: Whether they think about low-latency techniques, which the role explores for trading systems.

Explain how you'd verify a design you wrote. What would your testbench check?

What they are checking: Whether they see testing as part of design, since the role develops both designs and tests.

What's metastability and how do you protect against it?

What they are checking: Core digital design knowledge for safe signal crossing between clock domains.

How do hardware and software split the work in a fast trading system?

What they are checking: Whether they understand systems that mix software and hardware, as the role does.

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The full job description

As published by IMC Trading.

Having the best technology drives our business.  As a Hardware Engineer at IMC, you are responsible for spotting new opportunities, solving problems and developing new technologies. Our Hardware development process is innovative, pragmatic and fun, even as complexity grows. You will collaborate with team members and receive support from both a mentor and a lead who will oversee your projects and professional development. Your Core Responsibilities: • Enhance your knowledge of trading, algorithm complexity, system design, and coding • Work within different systems involving a mix of software and cutting-edge hardware technologies • Develop hardware designs and tests • Drive projects from ideation to production • Explore innovative low-latency techniques to implement within our trading system • Build relationships across our technology and trading teams Your Skills and Experience: • Current university student graduating between September 2026 – July 2027 that is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related degree • Strong analytical skills and a desire to solve complex problems programmatically • Proficient in SystemVerilog, Verilog, VHDL, or other RTL programming (additional software experience is a plus; C++, Python, or similar) • Desire to collaborate with non-engineers in a dynamic environment • Interest in the Financial Markets; previous knowledge is NOT required • Must be available for full-time employment starting in February or August 2027 You may submit one application per role each year.  We strongly encourage you to focus on applying to a single role that best matches your skills and interests.  Though you may apply to multiple roles, please note that each application will be evaluated based on the specific criteria established for that particular role. If you have already applied for this position during the current recruitment season and were not selected, you may reapply when the next recruitment season begins in 2027. The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visit Benefits - US | IMC Trading for more comprehensive information. Base Salary: $200,000 About Us IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.  

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