Principal Platform Engineer

Principal Platform Engineer at Ninja Trader

Welcome to the dynamic world of Ninja Trader! As an industry‑leading trading platform and futures broker, we empower traders to take control of their financial destiny. Our award‑winning software and brokerage services equip traders of all experience levels to navigate the world’s leading financial markets with confidence.

Since 2003, Ninja Trader has grown to more than 2 million users and become the number‑one rated futures brokerage worldwide. We continue to evolve, modernise the futures industry, and provide dynamic tools, real‑time support, and a community of like‑minded traders.

At Ninja Trader you are part of a movement that empowers employees to reach new heights through a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition.

As the senior‑most engineer on the platform team, you will shape our core high‑throughput, low‑latency trading application, directly influencing the business’s bottom line. You will help us scale infrastructure for continuous, programmatic optimisation of cloud resources, driving down costs while enhancing performance and utilisation.

• 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‑premises applications and services to the cloud while maintaining a high bar for security, reliability, and scalability
• Enhance monitoring and optimise 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 Dev Ops best practices

• 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 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 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, Web Sockets, 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, Git Hub Actions, or equivalent
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to work under pressure
• Excellent communication skills and ability to articulate technical problems concisely to non‑technical audiences

The salary range for this role is $200,000 – $250,000 USD. In addition, the position includes an annual target bonus of 15 % (50 % based on individual performance and 50 % on company/team performance).

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.

For Chicago‑based employees, we follow a hybrid work schedule: in‑office Tuesday through Thursday, with remote work on Mondays and Fridays. In addition to these weekly remote days, we also offer:

• 20 additional flex remote days annually
• 5 Company‑Wide Office‑Optional weeks tied to major holidays

• Generous PTO
• 7 paid holidays annually + 5 conditional holidays annually
• 1 service day annually
• 401(k) with 3.5 % company match
• Paid parental bonding leave
• Health, vision, dental coverage
• Life and disability insurance covered 100 % by Ninja Trader

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.