Senior Software Engineer, C++ (Algo)
Posted Sep 29, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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
The team works across the full stack, from hardware upward. Tell me about working near the hardware or network layer.
What they are checking: Comfort with low-level systems that interact with FPGAs, NICs and the kernel.
Tell me about the hardest C++ bug you've fixed.
What they are checking: Experience with undefined behavior, memory issues and the tools used to track them down.
What would you do
A strategy behaves differently in production than in simulation. How do you find out why?
What they are checking: Systematic debugging across timing, data and environment differences.
How do you balance performance with code clarity when others need to maintain your code?
What they are checking: Judgment that avoids cleverness where it does not pay for itself.
How do you work with quantitative researchers to turn their models into production code?
What they are checking: Collaboration and translation between research prototypes and reliable trading systems.
About the work
Walk me through what you do to make a C++ code path as fast as possible in a trading system.
What they are checking: Practical low-latency C++ skill such as avoiding allocation, cache awareness and measuring with care.
Explain move semantics and when they actually matter for performance.
What they are checking: Deep modern C++ knowledge, not just syntax familiarity.
How do you measure latency in a trading application, and what pitfalls have you hit?
What they are checking: Rigor in measurement, since bad benchmarks lead to wrong optimizations.
How would you design a lock-free queue between a market data thread and a strategy thread?
What they are checking: Understanding of memory ordering and concurrent data structures used in latency-sensitive code.
How do you make sure a risk check in your code can never be skipped?
What they are checking: Seriousness about safety controls in automated trading, where errors are fast and expensive.
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As published by DRW.