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Software Developer

DRW · Chicago, IL · Campus Software Engineering

Posted Sep 12, 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 will work alongside traders and quantitative researchers. Tell me about a time you built something for a user who did not speak your technical language.

What they are checking: Whether they can turn a non-engineer's needs into working software by asking good questions.

Tell me about a hard bug you tracked down. How did you narrow it down?

What they are checking: Their debugging method and persistence, which the posting calls careful analysis.

You get meaningful responsibility from day one. Tell me about a time you owned something bigger than you expected.

What they are checking: Whether they step up with ownership and ask for help at the right moments.

What did you learn from the last piece of feedback that changed how you write code?

What they are checking: Coachability, since the role includes a rigorous training program and mentorship.

What would you do

The role says complex problems need careful analysis and swift execution. How do you decide when to stop analyzing and ship?

What they are checking: Whether they can balance speed against the cost of mistakes in a trading environment.

A trader tells you the tool you built is showing a wrong number during the trading day. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they act fast, communicate clearly and protect trading decisions before chasing the full fix.

About the work

How would you design a component that receives market data and keeps an order book up to date?

What they are checking: Their grasp of data structures, update ordering and speed for a core piece of trading software.

Walk me through how you would find and fix a memory leak or performance problem in a long-running service.

What they are checking: A practical approach with profilers and measurement rather than guessing, which matters for systems that run all day.

Which data structure would you use to track the best bid and ask across thousands of instruments that update constantly, and why?

What they are checking: Core computer science knowledge applied to a real trading problem where speed and correctness both count.

How do you test code that depends on live market data?

What they are checking: Whether they think of recorded data, simulation and edge cases like gaps and halts.

How do you explain concurrency and why it is hard? Give an example of a race condition you have seen or could imagine.

What they are checking: Whether they understand threads and shared state, which shows up throughout low-latency systems.

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The full job description

As published by DRW.

Our formula for success is simple: hire exceptional talent, empower bold thinking, and reward performance that drives impact. As a Software Developer &nbsp;at DRW, you will be an integral member of a dynamic team of technologists, quantitative researchers, and traders. Collaborating closely, you will contribute across the full technology stack tackling complex problems that require careful analysis and swift execution. &nbsp; We’re&nbsp;looking for individuals who are eager to learn, think critically, and deliver solutions that drive tangible impact. From day one, you will be entrusted with meaningful responsibility, supported by mentorship from experienced engineers, and&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in a rigorous training program designed to accelerate your growth in this role. &nbsp; At DRW,&nbsp;you’ll&nbsp;thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment that values innovation, adaptability, and excellence—providing the tools and opportunities to make a direct difference. &nbsp; How You Will Make an Impact: You will design, develop, test, and deploy proprietary software that powers fundamental aspects of our business,&nbsp;such as:&nbsp; &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Design, develop ,&nbsp; test &nbsp; and deploy&nbsp; proprietary software &nbsp;including : &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Trading strategy simulation software optimized &nbsp;for distributed computation &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Large scale data acquisition, storage, accessibility, and visualization &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Ultra-low-latency trading strategies &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Complex algorithmic trading systems &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Real time trade management and risk analysis &nbsp;platforms &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Low level optimizations for data processing &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Fully automated trading strategies &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Adapters for exchange protocols &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Robust inter process communication mechanisms &nbsp; • Analyze and tune system performance &nbsp; • Collaborate with experienced teammates to learn and implement bespoke solutions that balance speed, features, and cost to improve our technology stack &nbsp; What You Bring to the Team: &nbsp; &nbsp; You’ll join us with a strong technical foundation and the ability to collaborate effectively. Specifically, you bring: &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> A degree in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or a related engineering discipline, with graduation expected between&nbsp; December 2026&nbsp; and&nbsp; June 2027&nbsp; (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD) &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Proficiency &nbsp;in modern &nbsp; C++, &nbsp; Java &nbsp; or Python &nbsp; &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Skills in multi-threading, API design and integration, data processing, and UI development &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Skills in network programming (TCP/IP), multi ‐ threaded applications, computational intelligence, real ‐ time&nbsp; programming &nbsp;or GUI programming &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> A strong grasp of object-oriented design, data structures, and algorithms &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> Solid programming fundamentals paired with clear logical thinking and effective communication &nbsp; <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"> The ability to clearly articulate and advocate for your ideas within a collaborative team environment &nbsp; DRW is a diversified trading firm with over three decades of experience bringing together sophisticated technology and exceptional talent to&nbsp;operate&nbsp;in markets around the world.&nbsp;We trade using our own capital and at our own risk, giving us the autonomy to move quickly and adapt to new opportunities. &nbsp; Headquartered in Chicago, with offices across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in a broad range of asset classes, including fixed income, ETFs, equities, FX, commodities, and energy—trading across all major global markets. Beyond traditional trading,&nbsp;we’ve&nbsp;extended our&nbsp;expertise&nbsp;into real estate, venture capital, and&nbsp;cryptoassets. &nbsp; At DRW, we value respect, curiosity, and open-mindedness. We believe that how we work is just as important as what we do. Our culture is defined by&nbsp;high expectations, integrity, innovation, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. &nbsp; The annual base salary range for this position is $225,000 depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant skill set. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.&nbsp; 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&nbsp;California Privacy Notice&nbsp;for information about certain legal rights at&nbsp; https://drw.com/california-privacy-notice . #LI-DNI

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