Aquatic Capital Management is seeking a Systems Engineer to join our team.  

Systems Engineer

Infrastructure & Research Computing

Aquatic Capital Management  •  Chicago, IL  •  Full-Time

About the Role

• We are hiring a Systems Engineer to join our Infrastructure team. This is a senior individual contributor role with significant architectural ownership, and real accountability for how our research and trading systems compute.
• You will own and evolve the compute infrastructure that powers quantitative research and production trading at Aquatic: our on-premise grid, hybrid cloud compute (GCP and AWS), GPU workloads, storage systems, and the automation that ties it all together.

What You Will Do

Grid & High-Performance Computing

• Own and evolve Aquatic's Slurm and Ray cluster infrastructure across on-prem and GCP — supporting research and trading workloads including fitting, tuning, backtesting, feature computation, and market data processing.
• Drive architectural improvements to capacity, scheduling efficiency, and throughput across the full footprint, including GPU computation. 
• Design and maintain the connectivity and automation between on-prem and cloud environments
• Evaluate and implement newer compute paradigms as research needs evolve 

Storage & Performance

• Own high-performance storage systems including VAST (NFS and S3-compatible), ensuring data access is fast and reliable across research, trading, and build workloads.
• Investigate and resolve performance bottlenecks at the intersection of storage, network, and compute.

Developer Experience & Automation

• Design and maintain provisioning systems for complex compute resources and datacenter onboarding.
• Own and improve CI/CD infrastructure (GitHub Actions) as well as the development toolchain for the broader engineering organization.

Technical Leadership & Mentorship

• Serve as the go-to architect for infrastructure decisions; provide technical direction and help establish vision across the team.
• Pair with and mentor earlier-career Systems & Software Engineers, helping them develop sound instincts and grow their skills.
• Diagnose and resolve the hardest, most obscure system issues that others cannot get to the bottom of.

What We Are Looking For

Required

• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering, infrastructure, or a closely related discipline.
• Deep Unix/Linux expertise across multiple distributions; comfortable at every layer of the stack.
• Strong experience with HPC grid systems (SLURM preferred) in a research or scientific computing environment.
• Experience provisioning and managing bare-metal infrastructure and data centers, not just cloud-native environments.
• Familiarity with high-performance / parallel storage systems (VAST, GPFS, Lustre, or similar).
• Strong scripting and automation fluency (Bash, Python, or similar); able to build tools that others rely on and to contribute to and own production codebases.
• Ability to operate as an independent technical leader: establishing direction, building trusted relationships, and communicating clearly with stakeholders outside the team.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience with distributed compute frameworks such as Ray, Dask, or Spark in a research context.
• Low-level systems programming on Linux using C/C++, with a focus on performance and reliability.
• Experience with GPU computation and instrumenting GPU utilization for ML/research workloads.
• Hands-on experience building and operating cloud infrastructure on GCP (or comparable major cloud), including autoscaling compute clusters.
• Strong networking fundamentals; able to design and troubleshoot complex network topologies including cloud interconnects.
• Background working alongside quantitative researchers or software engineers in a trading, finance, or research-intensive organization.

What Makes You Stand Out

• You have an architectural mindset: you think about how systems will fail before they do, and you build for stability and operational simplicity.
• You are energized by the intersection of systems and the people who use them. You want researchers and engineers to have great tools, not just working ones.
• You are a patient, generous mentor. You grow the people around you.
• You are direct, give well-reasoned dissenting opinions when you have them, and do not let ideas roll by unchallenged when you see a better path.

The base salary for this role is anticipated to be between $150,000 and $300,000, which is based on information at the time of posting. This position may also be eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as a discretionary bonus, and benefits. Discretionary bonus can be a significant portion of total compensation. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their unique skills, qualifications and relevant experience.

At Aquatic, we are actively recruiting for software engineers in our Chicago or New York offices. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best and most experienced researchers and technologists in the financial services industry to build systems that are critical to the success of our company. 

Aquatic is a place where individual contributions have significant impact. As an Early Career engineer, you will rotate through 2 or 3 different technology teams, where your day-to-day will be focused on building systems that directly contribute to the profitability of the firm. As your skills and experience grow, you’ll have opportunities to dive deeper into the research technologies at the core of Aquatic’s business. 

Responsibilities:

• Work 1-on-1 with senior engineers who will mentor and guide you in each tech rotation
• Apply hands-on software development using Python or C++
• Learn software design and testing techniques, such as Refactoring and Test Driven Development

Required Experience: 

• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent 
• A history of building software solutions in Python or C++. Stronger candidates will have knowledge of:
• Event-driven architectures
• Distributed systems
• Strong quantitative skills preferred
• No more than 3 years of professional (post-education) experience

Desired Qualities: 

• Strong bias for action
• Enthusiasm for detail
• Eager to learn through direct mentoring
• Prefers working in a team towards common objectives
• Comfortable providing and receiving actionable feedback
• Motivated by an ambitious environment and driven colleagues

Aquatic Capital Management is seeking a C++ Software Engineer to join our Market Data team.  In this role, you’ll build and maintain real-time market data infrastructure that delivers clean, reliable, and low-latency data to research and trading systems. You'll work closely with researchers and technologists across the firm to ensure optimal system performance and data quality.

Role Details:

• Design and develop performant C++ applications to process real-time market data from global exchanges
• Build tools that enable seamless, automated, and reproducible deployment of models into live trading environments.
• Enhance the performance, reliability, scalability, and throughput of real-time trading systems.
• Collaborate closely with quantitative researchers to improve the profitability and effectiveness of trading strategies.
• Work closely with strategy and trading desks to ensure alignment of data delivery with trading objectives

Technical Experience: 

• 2+ years of professional experience writing high-performance C++ (C++14/17/20)
• Deep understanding of market data, order books, and exchange microstructure
• Strong familiarity with Linux systems programming, networking, and multithreading
• Passion for clean, well-architected code and systems design
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree a plus
• Background in quantitative or systematic trading environments preferred 
• Involvement with systems tied to strategy performance or PnL outcomes would be nice to have

Candidate Qualities:  

• Strong bias for action
• Driven by accountability and internal urgency
• Desire to independently seek best solutions
• Preference for working in a team that focuses on delivering results aligned with Research goals
• Comfortable providing and receiving actionable feedback in a collaborative team setting
• Motivated by an ambitious environment and driven colleagues 

The base salary for this role is anticipated to be between $150,000 and $300,000, which is based on information at the time of posting. This position may also be eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as a discretionary bonus, and benefits. Discretionary bonus can be a significant portion of total compensation. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their unique skills, qualifications and relevant experience.

As a Quantitative Researcher, you will work with a team to develop a variety of signals, models, and strategies for trading financial markets. As part of the role, you will be responsible for the design and implementation of various components of our research system, and you will evaluate their effectiveness by using rigorous statistical methods. As part of a small team with exposure to multiple areas of research, you will have the opportunity to rapidly grow your knowledge of quantitative finance.

Candidate requirements:

• Active PhD graduates or Postdocs pursuing a degree in mathematics, statistics, machine learning, physics, computer science, or other scientific discipline 
• Exceptional mathematical, analytical, and problem-solving ability
• Programming proficiency in Python or C++
• Experience in solving data-intensive problems a plus
• Demonstrated ability to complete statistical or applied mathematical research a plus
• Successful participation in mathematical competitions a plus e.g., IMO, Putnam
• Prior experience in a quantitative role within a trading environment a plus

Desired qualities: 

• Intellectually curious, creative, and rigorous
• Willingness to challenge assumptions and revise opinions in the face of compelling evidence
• Self-motivated and highly productive, with a strong sense of urgency and accountability
• Willing to take ownership of one’s work, working both independently and within a small team
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple threads of work
• Able to work across disciplines
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Comfortable providing and receiving actionable feedback in a collaborative team setting

As a Quantitative Research Intern, you will collaborate closely with a team to develop and implement quantitative trading signals, models, and strategies. Our role offers the opportunity to design, implement, and evaluate research systems components using rigorous statistical methodologies. As part of the team, you will gain exposure to diverse research areas, accelerating your expertise in quantitative finance.

Requirements:

• Active student pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in mathematics, statistics, machine learning, physics, computer science, or other scientific disciplines with an expected graduation date between Fall 2027 and Spring 2028.
• Demonstrated proficiency in quantitative analysis and problem-solving
• Proficiency in Python programming 
• Prior experience tackling data-intensive challenges, conducting and completing statistical or applied mathematical research 
• Successful participation in mathematical competitions is a plus e.g., IMO, Putnam
• Prior experience in a quantitative role within a trading environment a plus

Desired qualities: 

• Intellectually curious, creative, and rigorous
• Willingness to challenge assumptions and revise opinions in the face of compelling evidence
• Self-motivated and highly productive, with a strong sense of urgency and accountability
• Willing to take ownership of one’s work, working both independently and within a small team
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple threads of work
• Able to work across disciplines
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Comfortable providing and receiving actionable feedback in a collaborative team setting

As a Quantitative Researcher, you will collaborate closely with a team to develop and implement quantitative trading signals, models, and strategies. Our role offers the opportunity to design, implement, and evaluate research systems components using rigorous statistical methodologies. As part of the team, you will gain exposure to diverse research areas, accelerating your expertise in quantitative finance. 

Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s degree (BS) in mathematics, statistics, machine learning, physics, computer science, or other scientific disciplines is required.
• Candidates may have up to 3 years of professional experience or be actively pursuing a BS or MS in these fields, with an expected graduation date in 2026 or 2027. 
• Demonstrated proficiency in quantitative analysis and problem-solving
• Proficiency in Python programming 
• Prior experience tackling data-intensive challenges, conducting and completing statistical or applied mathematical research 
• Successful participation in mathematical competitions is a plus e.g., IMO, Putnam
• Prior experience in a quantitative role within a trading environment a plus

Desired qualities: 

• Intellectually curious, creative, and rigorous
• Willingness to challenge assumptions and revise opinions in the face of compelling evidence
• Self-motivated and highly productive, with a strong sense of urgency and accountability
• Willing to take ownership of one’s work, working both independently and within a small team
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple threads of work
• Able to work across disciplines
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Comfortable providing and receiving actionable feedback in a collaborative team setting

Aquatic is looking for exceptional Quantitative Researchers to create and improve proprietary trading models and strategies while working closely with engineers and senior leaders across the firm. Quantitative Researchers within Aquatic work on a variety of trading strategies and research projects, with the opportunity to conduct independent research and originate research topics over time.

Specific responsibilities range from utilizing financial and other data in an effort to create or improve predictive models, developing and/or leveraging leading-edge statistical and machine-learning models to enhance the research and development system, creating algorithms to monetize the predictive signals.

Technical requirements:

• At least 4+ years of full-time professional experience
• Bachelors, Masters, PhD or Postdoc candidates in finance, computer science, mathematics, statistics, machine learning, physics, or other scientific discipline
• Solid mathematical and analytical ability; exceptional problem-solving and modeling ability
• Demonstrated ability to complete high level, statistical or applied mathematical research
• Prior experience in a quantitative role within a trading environment a plus
• Experience in solving highly complex, data intensive problems
• Programming proficiency in any of the following: Python, C++, Java or R

Behavioral requirements:

• Strong research hygiene
• Self-motivated and highly-productive, with a strong sense of ownership and urgency
• Intellectually curious, creative, and rigorous
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Able to work across disciplines
• Willing to take ownership of his/her work, working both independently and within a small team
• Driven and tenacious approach with desire to build something scratch

The base salary for this role is anticipated to be between $150,000 and $300,000, which is based on information at the time of posting. This position may also be eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as a discretionary bonus, and benefits. Discretionary bonus can be a significant portion of total compensation. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their unique skills, qualifications and relevant experience.

As a Software Engineering Intern at Aquatic, you will join a fast-moving team building high-performance, distributed systems that power our research and trading infrastructure. You’ll work closely with experienced engineers and quants to design tools, improve system reliability, and optimize our platform for low-latency, high-throughput data processing. This is a hands-on, impactful role—your work will directly influence live systems and research workflows.

Requirements:

• Active student pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in mathematics, statistics, machine learning, physics, computer science, or other scientific disciplines with an expected graduation date between Fall 2027 and Spring 2028.
• Solid programming skills in Python and/or C++
• Strong understanding of algorithms, systems, and computer architecture
• Curiosity about how things work, and a desire to build systems that do things better
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment
• Learn software design and testing techniques, such as Refactoring and Test Driven Development

Candidate qualities: 

• Strong bias for action
• Driven by accountability and internal urgency
• Desire to independently seek best solutions
• Preference for working in a team that focuses on delivering results aligned with Research goals
• Comfortable providing and receiving actionable feedback in a collaborative team setting
• Motivated by an ambitious environment and driven colleagues