Performance Engineer (Entry-Level), 2026

Akuna Capital • Chicago, IL

161d • $130,000

About The Position

Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market-maker - meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies and mathematical models. Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm's first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world - Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, London, and Singapore. We are seeking to grow our Performance Engineering Team, which is focused on a rigorous and holistic approach to improving software, hardware, and strategy performance. This team is responsible for maintaining and increasing our competitiveness at the various exchanges Akuna does business with around the globe. As a member of this multidisciplinary team, you will be responsible for investigating new opportunities for optimizations and bringing these ideas to fruition. This can be achieved through software optimizations, analysis of hardware, orchestration of physical installations, analysis of exchange specific protocols, or building tools for gauging Akuna's performance.

Requirements

• BS/MS/PhD in technical field - Computer Science, Math, Physics, Engineering
• Strong Python programming background
• Experience with Linux is required
• Exposure to fundamental networking concepts (TCP, UDP, unicast, multicast)
• Exposure to introductory Computer Architecture and Systems Programming
• Object-oriented design and programming experience
• Exposure to introductory statistics and linear algebra
• Highly collaborative in nature - excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work on cross-functional teams including Trading, Development, IT, and Quant
• GPA of 3.5 or above
• Must be graduating August 2026 or prior

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and implementation of performance engineering solutions for our trading software suite.
• Benchmark systems, evaluate devices, perform latency analysis, and develop tools to assess performance.
• Review Akuna's data center infrastructure and propose implementable changes to maximize the efficiency of our connections.
• Develop tools and applications for benchmarking new devices and software.
• Use a data driven approach to collaborate with relevant trading, quant, and technology teams to expand and improve our systems, footprint, and latency across strategies and exchanges.
• Guide the optimization and normalization for our existing exchange connections.
• Review and analyze how we leverage our proprietary systems and consider how we can improve our technology stack to better our trading success.

Benefits

• Discretionary performance bonus
• Minimum base salary starts at $130,000

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree