Head of Development, EMEA IT, IT

Position Description

We are looking for a Head of Development to work within the front office development team that will work on its trading platforms. Examples of projects include building high-capacity OMS, low latency EMS platform and market connectivity. This is a rare opportunity to work on engineering an end-to-end in-house built platform supporting global front office business. The ideal candidate would be motivated by leveraging cutting-edge high throughput, low latency technologies to resolve challenges in trading platforms. In effect, someone who will find the correct solution to an engineering problem when left on their own because they like to solve problems well. Domain knowledge on OMS/ EMS/ Market Connectivity is. At the same time, they should work well in teams, as a contributor and/or leader. Communication and clarity are critical, as decisions made will have long lasting and significant effects on a critical global initiative, therefore they need to be convincing and recorded so they can be reviewed with hindsight and learned from.

Key Areas of Responsibilities

• Take a leading role in defining all application development initiatives within the EMEA region’s Execution Services domain.
• Maintain a forward-looking perspective on technological advancements and explore ways to strategically leverage them where beneficial.
• Apply a pragmatic approach to technology, integrating it effectively into the development roadmap — focusing on reusability and eliminating unnecessary complexity.
• Demonstrate strong presentation skills to articulate and advocate for innovative technology solutions, designs, frameworks, and architectural concepts.
• Possess the ability to synthesize and interpret complex architectural and design analysis, ensuring cohesive understanding across teams.
• Initiate, execute, and facilitate knowledge transfer for technology projects, ensuring smooth project kickoff and delivery.
• Mentor development teams on technological best practices, review technical solutions, and support the delivery of Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs).
• Monitor and manage technical debt, conduct application audits, and serve as a gatekeeper for the adoption of new technologies.
• Design and develop high-quality, cutting-edge front-office systems for Equities Trading.
• Lead a team in managing business change requests and implementing continuous technical improvements.
• Drive initiatives related to technical design and architecture, emphasizing scalability, stability, and performance.
• Provide guidance, mentorship, and support to junior team members, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment.
• Deliver Level 3 support for Cash Equities trading operations, ensuring stability and incident resolution.
• Collaborate with front-office development teams to align on design interfaces and interrelated functionalities.
• Conduct unit testing and functional validation of developed code to ensure quality standards.
• Lead and coordinate efforts with Quality Assurance analysts to guarantee rigorous testing and validation.
• Ensure the timely delivery of high-quality software solutions aligned with business needs.
• Maintain full compliance with CLSA training programs and regulatory requirements for yourself and your team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related IT field.
• 10-15 years of extensive software development experience.
• Strong proficiency in Java—class creation, JVM internals, garbage collection—with certifications preferred.
• Proficiency in SQL (Oracle, MS SQL, PostgreSQL), including stored procedures; certifications preferred.
• Expertise in Linux command-line scripting (bash) and system administration.
• Hands-on experience developing low-latency, high-throughput Java components.
• Practical experience building cash equity trading platforms—OMS, EMS, Market Connectivity, Risk, GUI, Middleware, Middle Office.
• Deep understanding of fundamental computer science concepts.
• Experience with distributed caching technologies (GigaSpaces, Ignite, Coherence).
• Full-stack skills in Core Java and REST APIs.
• Practical knowledge of multi-threading, event-driven programming, and memory optimization.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Knowledge of performance tuning techniques.
• Familiarity with enterprise SDLC tools like JIRA and Confluence.
• Experience with CI/CD tools such as Git, Maven/Gradle, Jenkins/Bamboo, GitLab.
• Shell scripting and Unix/Linux fundamentals.
• Understanding of schemas, JMX, JUnit, XML, and IDEs (Eclipse, IntelliJ).
• Ability to work under tight deadlines in fast-paced environments with minimal supervision.
• Proven leadership and influencing skills to drive technical initiatives.
• Motivated, eager to learn and share knowledge
• Excellent command of / fluent in both spoken and written English.