Role Overview
We are seeking a Java Developer with strong Front Office Foreign Exchange (FX) technology experience to join a major strategic modernisation programme. The programme is focused on migrating a large-scale, business-critical FX trading platform from a legacy C++ architecture to a modern Java-based platform.
The successful candidate will work closely with traders, quants, business analysts, architects, and other engineering teams to redesign, re-engineer, and deliver high-performance, low-latency trading applications that support the FX business across pricing, execution, risk, and trade capture.
This is a hands-on role requiring both deep technical capability and strong Front Office domain knowledge. The individual must be comfortable operating in a fast-paced trading environment and able to bridge legacy systems and modern engineering practices.
Key Responsibilities
Core Delivery Responsibilities
* Participate in the design and implementation of the strategic migration from C++ to Java.
* Analyse existing C++ trading and pricing applications and help define the target Java architecture.
* Re-engineer legacy components into scalable, maintainable, and testable Java services.
* Develop high-performance Front Office FX applications with a focus on low latency, throughput, resiliency, and stability.
* Work across the full software development lifecycle including requirements gathering, design, coding, testing, deployment, and production support.
* Deliver new Java components while ensuring compatibility and integration with existing C++ systems during the transition period.
* Contribute to the phased decommissioning of legacy platforms.
Required Skills and Experience
Technical Skills
* Strong commercial experience developing enterprise applications in Java.
* Proven experience with modern Java versions (Java 11/17+).
* Strong understanding of concurrent programming, multithreading, collections, and memory management.
* Experience building low-latency and high-throughput systems.
* Experience with the following technologies:
* Spring Boot / Spring Framework
* Messaging technologies such as Kafka, Solace, Tibco, JMS, or MQ
* RESTful APIs and service-oriented architectures
* Microservices and event-driven architectures
* Maven or Gradle
* Git and modern CI/CD pipelines
* Linux / Unix environments
* SQL and relational databases
* In-memory caching technologies
* Strong debugging, profiling, and performance optimisation skills.
* Experience with automated testing frameworks including JUnit and integration testing.
* Familiarity with containerisation and cloud technologies is desirable.
Preferred / Desirable Experience
* Experience within a large-scale strategic transformation or modernisation programme.
* Experience working with Azure
* Experience in a global bank or major financial institution.
* Familiarity with pricing engines and quantitative libraries.
* Experience with distributed caching and high-performance messaging.
* Knowledge of Kubernetes, Docker, and cloud-native deployment models.
* Familiarity with DevOps and SRE practices.
* Exposure to Agile delivery methodologies including Scrum or Kanban.
* Experience mentoring junior developers and leading technical workstreams.