Platinum & Partners — Quant & Systematic Recruitment
Specialist HFT Engineer & Prop Trading Desk Recruitment
High-frequency trading and ultra-low latency engineering represent the most technically demanding corner of quantitative finance. The best HFT engineers and low-latency C++ developers are never on the market for long — and the best roles never reach a job board. Platinum & Partners is the specialist HFT recruiter for London's leading prop trading firms, HFT hedge funds and electronic market makers. We place Low Latency C++ Developers, FPGA Engineers, HFT Quant Researchers, Market Microstructure Specialists and Trading Infrastructure Engineers. Tabby Kaan leads every mandate personally.
HFT engineers build and optimise the systems that execute strategies in microseconds or nanoseconds. This spans hardware design (FPGA, NIC offloading), kernel-bypass networking (DPDK, Solarflare, Mellanox OpenOnload), ultra-low latency C++ development, co-location optimisation, and the full stack of market data handling, order management and risk systems. The best HFT engineers combine deep systems programming expertise with an understanding of market microstructure, execution quality and latency profiling. HFT Quant Researchers focus on signal generation at ultra-high frequencies — microstructure, order flow, short-term momentum, and market impact modelling.
Live market data from Platinum & Partners mandates. London unless stated. Contact Tabby Kaan for role-specific benchmarks.
| Level | Base Salary | Total Comp (incl. bonus) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate / Junior HFT Engineer (0–2 years) | £70,000 – £120,000 | £100,000 – £200,000 | Year-1 guarantee common; strong profit share at prop firms |
| Mid-Level Low Latency Developer (2–5 years) | £120,000 – £220,000 | £200,000 – £500,000+ | Profit share structures; equity/phantom equity at some firms |
| Senior Low Latency / FPGA Engineer (5–10 years) | £200,000 – £350,000 | £400,000 – £1,000,000+ | Significant profit share; partnership tracks at leading firms |
| Lead / Principal HFT Engineer (10+ years) | £300,000 – £600,000+ | £700,000 – £3,000,000+ | Partnership / equity participation; firm-level economics |
New York typically runs 15–25% above London. Singapore is narrowing the gap rapidly. Figures based on Platinum & Partners placement data 2025–2026.
HFT firms expect deep expertise in performance-critical C++ (C++17/20), including lock-free data structures, memory management, SIMD intrinsics, and cache-aware programming. Experience with kernel-bypass networking (DPDK, Solarflare OpenOnload, Mellanox), FPGA integration, and real-time latency profiling tools (perf, Intel VTune) is highly valued at the most selective firms. A strong understanding of Linux OS internals — CPU affinity, NUMA topology, huge pages, IRQ isolation — is expected at senior levels.
FPGA engineers at HFT firms build hardware implementations of trading logic — feed handlers that parse market data directly in hardware, order routing logic, risk checks and network offloading — all operating in nanoseconds. The work spans VHDL or Verilog design, HLS (High Level Synthesis), board-level integration, and working closely with quant researchers to implement trading algorithms in hardware. London, Amsterdam and Chicago are the primary HFT engineering hubs.
In 2026, mid-level Low Latency C++ Developers in London with 2–5 years of HFT experience command £120,000–£220,000 base with total compensation (including profit share) of £200,000–£500,000+. Senior HFT engineers with FPGA expertise or 5–10 years of experience earn £200,000–£350,000 base with total packages of £400,000–£1,000,000+. Leading prop firms offer partnership tracks that can significantly exceed these figures. For current market rates, contact Tabby Kaan at tabby@platinumandpartners.com.
Rarely. HFT firms are exceptionally discreet — they protect information about their systems, strategies and technology roadmap. Most senior hires happen through trusted referrals and specialist networks. Platinum & Partners has direct relationships with the engineering and research leadership at London's leading HFT firms and prop trading desks, providing access to roles that never reach job boards.
Speak to Tabby Kaan directly. Retained, exclusive and contingency mandates — 48–72 hours to initial longlist. London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and global systematic investment centres.
Register confidentially with Platinum & Partners. We never circulate your CV without permission. Direct access to the off-market roles at the world's best systematic funds.
Tabby Kaan — Founder & Managing Partner | tabby@platinumandpartners.com | +44 (0)203 941 9113