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Research Engineer (Options)

DRW · Chicago, IL · $175,000–$225,000 a year · FICC Options Execution Software Engineering

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

You'd sit on a systematic options trading team across software design, data engineering, distributed computing and quantitative modeling. Where are you strongest, and where would you need to grow?

What they are checking: Honest self-assessment across a broad role, and whether they know where they would need support.

Tell me about a time you worked closely with researchers or traders who weren't engineers.

What they are checking: Collaboration and translating between research ideas and production-quality code.

What's something technical you've learned recently on your own, and why?

What they are checking: Curiosity and self-driven learning, which suits a role surrounded by new technology.

What would you do

A researcher's code works but is too slow to use on full history. How do you approach speeding it up?

What they are checking: Profiling first and optimizing what matters, while respecting the researcher's intent.

A model result changed overnight and nobody changed the code. How do you investigate?

What they are checking: Systematic debugging that checks data, dependencies and environment when the code itself has not changed.

About the work

How would you design a backtesting system for options strategies that researchers can trust?

What they are checking: Attention to correctness, point-in-time data and options-specific details like expirations and exercise.

Walk me through how you'd distribute a large parameter sweep across many machines.

What they are checking: Practical distributed computing skill, including failure handling and result collection.

How do you compute implied volatility from an option price, and what can go wrong numerically?

What they are checking: Quantitative modeling skill and awareness of edge cases in numerical methods.

How would you store and serve historical options data for fast research queries?

What they are checking: Data engineering judgment for very large, structured options datasets.

What makes research code different from production code, and how do you bridge them?

What they are checking: Understanding of tradeoffs between flexibility and reliability in a research-heavy team.

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The full job description

As published by DRW.

DRW is a diversified trading firm with over 3 decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. We value autonomy and the ability to quickly pivot to capture opportunities, so we operate using our own capital and trading at our own risk. Headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we trade a variety of asset classes including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities and Energy across all major global markets. We have also leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non-traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital and cryptoassets. We operate with respect, curiosity and open minds. The people who thrive here share our belief that it’s not just what we do that matters–it's how we do it. DRW is a place of high expectations, integrity, innovation and a willingness to challenge consensus. As a  Research Engineer , you will be an integral member of a systematic trading team comprised of experienced technologists, quantitative researchers, and traders. Your team will work closely to solve challenging technological problems and contribute to our full tech stack, including software design, data engineering, distributed computing, and quantitative modeling. You will be surrounded by cutting edge technology, mentored by industry-leading engineers, offered training and continuing education opportunities, and given immediate responsibility.  We are looking for quantitatively minded people who are creative technologists, natural programmers, and disciplined engineers eager to develop new technologies that directly impact our business. How you will make an impact: • Work with researchers to implement research studies, simulate trading strategies, and develop algorithms to compete in financial markets. • Design trading strategy simulation software optimized for distributed computation • Develop software for large scale data acquisition, storage, accessibility, and visualization • Create user interfaces for data exploration and post trade analysis • Accelerate the research lifecycle from strategy prototype to production deployment • Evaluate new technology and improve our technology stack What you bring to the team: • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field • Excellent software development skills in modern C++ and Python • A strong understanding of object oriented design, data structures and algorithms • A strong understanding of quantitative finance mathematics • A solid foundation in programming with the ability to think, communicate, and code clearly • A solid understanding of computer systems at every level of abstraction (hardware, OS, memory, network) • Skills in multi‐threaded applications • An understanding of how to build software for long term use and broad adoption • Demonstrated ability to produce algorithmic code in a fast-paced environment The annual base salary range for this position is $175,000 to $225,000, depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant skill set. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.  In addition, DRW offers a comprehensive suite of employee benefits including group medical, pharmacy, dental and vision insurance, 401k (with discretionary employer match), short and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance, health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts. For more information about DRW's processing activities and our use of job applicants' data, please view our Privacy Notice at https://drw.com/privacy-notice . California residents, please review the California Privacy Notice for information about certain legal rights at https://drw.com/california-privacy-notice . #LI-BL1   

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