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Software Engineer - C++, Trading Strategies

Akuna Capital · Chicago, IL · C++

Posted Aug 24, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 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.

Behavioral

Walk me through a time you had to squeeze latency out of a piece of C++ code. What was slow, how did you find out, and what did you change?

whether the candidate has real hands-on performance tuning experience versus theoretical knowledge

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a trader or researcher about how a strategy should be implemented. How did you handle it?

ability to collaborate with non-engineers who own the business logic without being dismissive or passive

Tell me about a project where you had to lead the design but also stay hands-on with the implementation. How did you split your time?

fit for the dual expectation of architectural leadership and detailed coding work

Describe a bug you introduced that only showed up under concurrent load. How did you track it down?

honesty and depth of debugging skill specifically around race conditions and concurrency

What draws you to financial markets specifically, versus just applying your C++ skills somewhere else?

genuine interest in trading versus generic interest in a high-paying engineering job

Tell me about a time data clearly told you your assumption about a strategy or system was wrong. What did you do next?

whether the candidate actually uses data to change decisions rather than just referencing it

Technical

Suppose you have a hot path that reads market data and updates an order book. What would you look at first to figure out where the time is going?

practical approach to profiling and performance analysis under low-latency constraints

How would you design a lock-free or low-contention structure for multiple threads updating the same price levels?

depth of understanding of multi-threaded and multi-core programming beyond textbook knowledge

What features in C++20 or later have you actually used in production, and what problem did they solve for you?

genuine currency with modern C++ versus name-dropping features from a resume

Explain how you'd design a system where a strategy needs to react to an incoming market data tick in under a microsecond. What are the tradeoffs you're making?

systems-level thinking about the full path from network to decision to order, including where cost is paid

How do you think about the difference between throughput and latency when you're optimizing a system, and can you give an example where they pulled in opposite directions?

whether the candidate actually understands tradeoffs rather than reciting that lower latency is always better

Here's a coding problem: given a stream of numbers, maintain a running median efficiently. How would you do it, and what's the complexity?

raw algorithmic and data structure fluency under interview pressure, mirroring the fast problem-solving the role demands

Situational

If a trading strategy started behaving unexpectedly in production and was losing money right now, what would you do in the next five minutes?

composure and decision-making priority under real financial risk and time pressure

If you were asked to add a new feature to a live trading strategy without being able to take the system down, how would you approach testing and deploying it safely?

judgment around risk management and testing discipline in a live production trading environment

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The full job description

As published by Akuna Capital.

About Akuna:  Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions, and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market maker – meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully, we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies, and mathematical models.  Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, London and Singapore. What you’ll do as a Software Engineer on the Trading Strategies Team at Akuna:  Akuna is looking for Software Engineers who are excited to apply their skills to low latency trading. Working directly with Traders and Researchers, you will focus on analysis, design, implementation, testing and delivery of Akuna’s strategies to the market. Your goal is to develop software that incorporates vast amounts of data to drive sophisticated, ultra-fast strategies, capturing market opportunities before our competition. In this role, you will:  <ul> <li>Lead in the design, implementation, and deployment of trading strategies using modern C++ technologies </li> <li>Bring deep technical knowledge in areas such as parallel programming, trading systems, networking, and performance analysis </li> <li>Be extremely hands-on, producing both detailed technical work and high-level architectural designs </li> <li>Have leadership opportunities across both project and team management </li> <li>Build software using Agile methodologies and modern software best practices </li> <li>Work directly with Traders and Researchers to create and enhance high performance, low latency trading strategies </li> </ul> Qualities that make great candidates:  <ul> <li>3+ years of experience developing performant, scalable applications in modern C++20 and beyond </li> <li>Experience developing trading strategies and/or a demonstrated passion for financial markets </li> <li>Experience using data to drive decision-making </li> <li>Significant experience with distributed systems, data structures, and algorithms </li> <li>Solid understanding of multi-threaded/multi-core programming paradigms </li> <li>Highly collaborative in nature, with excellent written and verbal communication skills </li> <li>Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math or equivalent </li> <li>The ability to react quickly and accurately to rapidly changing market conditions, including the ability to quickly and accurately respond and/or solve math and coding problems are essential functions of the role</li> </ul> In addition to technical skillsets, Akuna values the unique perspectives people can bring to the table to collaboratively solve complex problems and drive Akuna forward. We want everyone to feel empowered to apply. We welcome your application and encourage you to take the first steps toward your future with us! Please note that level/title, as well as team placement, will be determined upon the conclusion of the interview process. If you are a current student or recent graduate, please take a look at our Entry Level and Intern positions.  In accordance with Illinois Equal Pay Act, the minimum base salary starts at $145,000. Exact compensation offered may vary based on many factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and skill set. This role is also eligible for a discretionary performance bonus as part of the total compensation package and includes a comprehensive benefits package that may encompass employer-paid medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, and other benefits. The minimum base salary herein was determined in good faith by Akuna Capital LLC.

Apply at Akuna Capital

Software Engineer - C++, Trading Strategies

Likely interview questions for this role

Practice this interview out loud.

The full job description

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