Senior Software Engineer, Trading Platform, C++
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 Core Infrastructure team maintains DRW's global low-latency trading platform, including order routing, market data and risk. Which of those areas have you worked in most deeply?
What they are checking: Direct experience with the core components the posting names.
Tell me about a production incident in a trading system you helped resolve.
What they are checking: Calm incident handling and follow-through on lasting fixes.
What would you do
Many trading teams depend on your platform. How do you roll out changes without breaking them?
What they are checking: Careful release practices like versioning, feature flags and staged rollouts for shared infrastructure.
An exchange changes its protocol with short notice. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Responding to external changes quickly while keeping the platform stable.
How do you balance requests from different trading teams that want different things from the platform?
What they are checking: Product judgment for shared infrastructure serving many internal customers.
About the work
How would you design a market data handler that normalizes feeds from many exchanges with minimal latency?
What they are checking: Low-latency C++ design skill combined with knowledge of exchange feed protocols.
Walk me through the life of an order through a smart order router.
What they are checking: Understanding of order routing logic, venue selection and the risks in that path.
How would you add a new pre-trade risk check without adding meaningful latency?
What they are checking: Balancing safety and speed in a platform many trading teams depend on.
Explain how you'd use CPU caches, memory layout and threading to reduce latency.
What they are checking: Deep performance engineering knowledge needed for a low-latency platform.
How do you test platform code that runs across global deployments?
What they are checking: Testing strategy that accounts for different exchanges, time zones and environments.
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As published by DRW.