Principal Platform Engineer

Job Description

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JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO BECOME THE #1 RETAIL TRADING PLATFORM IN THE WORLD

Welcome to the dynamic world of NinjaTrader! As an industry-leading trading platform and futures broker, we're on a mission to empower traders to take control of their financial destiny. How do we do it? We provide cutting-edge products and services that enhance the trading journey. Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, NinjaTrader equips traders with award-winning software and brokerage services to navigate the world's leading financial markets with confidence.

Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Over the last 20 years, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. In the last five years alone, our user base has grown by 400% to over 1.9 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide.

But we're not stopping there. We're constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, and modernizing the futures industry. Our commitment to innovation means users will always have access to dynamic tools, real-time support, and a community of like-minded traders.

So, why work at NinjaTrader? Here, you're not just part of a team; you're part of a movement. We empower employees to reach new heights in their careers by providing a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives. Sounds too good to be true? Take it from our employees.

Join us as we redefine what's possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the world's top retail-focused trading platform in the world.

What you'll do:

As the senior-most engineer on the platform team, your work will have a profound impact on our core high-throughput, low-latency trading application, directly influencing our business's bottom line. You will help us scale our infrastructure for continuous and programmatic optimization of cloud resources, driving down costs while enhancing performance and utilization.

In this role you will:

Design, implement and evolve our cloud infrastructure to support our applications, services and ever-growing scale

Collaborate with engineering, operations, and security teams to define and implement cloud architecture for moving on-prem application and services to cloud while maintaining a high bar for security, reliability, and scalability

Enhance monitoring and optimize the cloud infrastructure for performance, cost, and security

Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines for cloud-based applications

Automate cloud operations and infrastructure management tasks using tools such as Terraform

Ensure compliance with security policies and industry standards

Mentor and guide peers and junior engineers in cloud infrastructure and DevOps best practices

What you'll need:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

10+ years of progressive engineering experience in Site Reliability or adjacent disciplines (Platform, Backend Engineering, etc)

5+ years of experience in deploying, managing, and supporting modern cloud-based environments and infrastructure like AWS, Azure, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, and IaC

Experience supporting a 24/7 cloud-based environment via on-call

Exceptional troubleshooting, debugging, and diagnostic skills for cloud and web-based technologies using industry standard observability tooling and frameworks

Proven experience in designing, deploying, and managing large-scale cloud infrastructure

Strong scripting skills in languages such as Python, Bash, or equivalent

Deep understanding of web applications and ability to troubleshoot HTTP/HTTPS, WebSockets, TLS, DNS, TCP/IP, and similar protocols

In-depth knowledge of networking, security, and identity management in cloud environments

Familiarity with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or equivalent

Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure

Excellent communication skills and ability to articulate technical problems in a concise manner to non-technical audiences

Compensation:

The salary range for this role will be $200,000 - $250,000 USD. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of 15%. Bonus pay at NinjaTrader is based on individual performance (50%) as well as company/team performance (50%).

Our Core Benefits Include:

Hybrid Schedule with Extra Remote Flexibility (Totaling over 55% remote time)

Generous PTO

7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually

1 Service Day Annually

401k with 3.5% Company Match

Health, Vision, Dental Coverage

Life and Disability Insurance Covered 100% by NinjaTrader

Flexible Spending Accounts for Transit and Parking

Gym Membership

Location: This role is based in Chicago, IL. There may be remote flexibility for exceptional candidates in the following states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Full-time

Hybrid remote