C++ Engineer

Job Title: C++ Engineer (Contract)
Location (onsite): New York, NY
Duration: 3+ Months

We are seeking a hands-on, C++ engineer to design and deliver FIX/FIXML parsing and transformation components for near/real-time trading data flows. This is a client-facing role that requires end-to-end ownership, from design through production, with high code quality standards and the ability to collaborate directly with quantitative developers and business stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and optimize C++ libraries/services for parsing FIX formats (native tag-value FIX, FIX with XML tags, FIXML) and transforming messages into downstream-consumable schemas.
• Build low-latency, high-throughput data pipelines and adapters integrated with real-time messaging/queuing technologies.
• Define and implement schemas, validation, and enrichment logic for trading and market data flows.
• Establish benchmarks, latency/throughput SLAs, and performance tuning plans; use profiling tools to identify and remediate bottlenecks.
• Own the full lifecycle: discovery, design, PoC, productionization, deployment, observability, documentation, and knowledge transfer.
• Partner closely with client-side quants, developers, and operations to ensure correctness, resiliency, and maintainability.
• Adhere to high standards for code quality, testing, security, and operational readiness.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• 10+ years of professional C++ development (modern C++17/20 preferred), including STL/Boost, templates, concurrency, networking, memory management, and performance tuning on Linux.
• 10+ years working with XML technologies and data management solutions (e.g., schema design, validation, transformation, versioning, lineage).
• 10+ years of designing, implementing, and operating data management solutions.
• Deep expertise with FIX protocol and FIXML, ideally in low-latency trading or market data environments.
• Proven experience parsing and normalizing multiple FIX dialects (native FIX, FIX with XML tags, FIXML) and transforming into downstream formats (e.g., canonical schemas, JSON, Avro, protobuf, custom binary).
• Hands-on experience with near/real-time messaging and queuing technologies (e.g., Kafka, 0MQ, RabbitMQ, Solace, TIBCO EMS/RV, NATS), including back-pressure handling and exactly-once/at-least-once semantics where applicable.
• Demonstrated ideation-to-production velocity: can independently gather requirements, produce designs, write production-grade code, and deliver measurable outcomes within tight timelines.
• Strong engineering rigor: code reviews, unit/integration testing, CI/CD, observability, and documentation.
• Excellent communication skills for direct client and quantitative developer interactions.

Preferred Skills & Qualifications:

• Experience or strong working knowledge of capital markets (e.g., cash equities, futures/options, FX, fixed income), buy- or sell-side order flows, execution workflows, market data, reference data, and symbology.
• Prior work on low-latency trading systems, market data handlers, feed handlers, or order gateways.
• Familiarity with FIX engines and tooling (e.g., QuickFIX/QuickFIX/J, OnixS, CameronFIX, or in-house engines).
• Knowledge of XML tooling (XSD, XSLT), schema evolution strategies, and compatibility testing.
• Familiarity with serialization frameworks (Avro, protobuf, FlatBuffers), time-series or columnar stores, and caching layers.
• Experience with performance profiling and tracing (perf, flamegraphs, valgrind, VTune), and network-level analysis (tcpdump, Wireshark).

Tools & Environment:

• Linux, Bash, CMake/Conan, or similar build systems
• Git-based workflows, code review platforms, and CI/CD (GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket, Jenkins, TeamCity, or similar)
• Monitoring/observability: metrics, logging, tracing (Prometheus, Grafana,