Head of Operations - Algo Trading

Head of Operations - Algorithmic Trading

Location: London (quant-driven electronic market maker)

Overview:

A senior strategic leadership role at a leading quantitative trading firm that uses machine learning and data-driven intelligence to provide liquidity across global financial markets. The firm values strategic thinking, resilience, and innovation over speed alone - focusing on smarter, predictive trading systems.

Purpose of the Role:

To define and execute the operational strategy that underpins the firm's growth, scalability, and resilience. This is a hands-on leadership position focused on guiding systems, processes, and people - not managing day-to-day tickets.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the strategic operational roadmap, aligning it with long-term business goals.
• Oversee critical trading infrastructure, ensuring stability, integrity, and risk management.
• Drive automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) maturity.
• Champion the integration of Generative AI for intelligent monitoring and predictive operations.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration during incidents and major system initiatives.
• Design and manage a robust operational risk framework across the trading lifecycle.

Ideal Profile:

• 5+ years in trading operations, SRE, or systems leadership within quant / HFT / fintech firms.
• Expert-level skills in Linux/Unix, distributed systems, and FIX protocol.
• Hands-on with IaC tools (Terraform, Puppet, etc.) and modern automation.
• Strong grasp of market microstructure, order flow, and risk management.
• Exceptional communicator with strategic influence across technical and executive teams.

Desirable:

• Background in quantitative trading or software engineering.
• Familiarity with AI/ML, predictive analytics, and trading platforms (IB, MetaQuotes, B2B or C-Trader).

Tech Stack:

• Linux-first environment on AWS.
• Core languages: C++, Java, Python.
• Large-scale data lakes and HTML5 front ends.

Why Join:

• Shape the firm's operational strategy with real ownership and autonomy.
• High-impact role with direct exposure to the executive team.
• Clear progression to senior executive leadership.
• Collaborative, meritocratic culture with a startup mindset.