Senior Scala Developer - JVM - Real Time risk management - London

Ink Search Ltd are seeking a highly skilled Scala Developer, one with a background in a trading environment, to join a fast-paced, technology-driven team. You'll play a key role in designing, developing and optimising high-performance, low-latency systems that power trading strategies and infrastructure.

This is a hands-on engineering role where JVM internals knowledge is not just appreciated- it's essential. You'll work closely with traders, quants, and fellow engineers to deliver mission-critical systems that operate at scale and speed.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement robust, scalable Scala applications for Real Time trading.

• Optimize JVM performance, including memory management, garbage collection tuning, and thread management.

• Analyse and improve system latency, throughput, and reliability.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.

• Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions, and performance profiling.

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong commercial experience with Scala in a trading or financial services context.

• Deep understanding of the JVM, including:

• Garbage collection strategies

• JIT compilation

• Threading and concurrency

• JVM tuning and profiling tools (eg, JFR, VisualVM, YourKit )

• Experience with low-latency, high-throughput systems.

• Familiarity with messaging and streaming pla tforms (eg, Kafka, Aeron, Chronicle Queue).

• Solid grasp of functional programming principles and best practices.

• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.

Beneficial

• Experience with Akka, Cats, or ZIO.

• Exposure to algorithmic or quantitative trading systems.

• Familiarity with containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP).

• Knowledge of market data feeds, FIX protocol, or order execution systems.

The client can offer the opportunity to work on cutting-edge trading technology in a high-impact role. Competitive compensation, including performance-based bonuses, a vailable, f lexible working arrangements and a strong engineering culture. Opportunities for technical leadership and career progression is widely available.