Sr. Software Engineer, Backend - NT Connect

NinjaTrader•Chicago, IL

5d•$100,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

NinjaTrader is seeking a Sr. Software Engineer to join our NT Connect team. This team focuses on our API-based brokerage integration layer, which powers connections with introducing brokers, fintech partners, and third-party platforms. In this role, you will help design, build, and evolve the backend services that support partner integrations, brokerage APIs, and trading infrastructure. Your work will directly impact partner success, trader outcomes, and revenue growth. You will collaborate with Engineering, Product, QA, and cross-functional partners to deliver high-quality, scalable solutions for our broker partners. This is an opportunity for someone passionate about distributed systems, real-time systems, API platforms, and the intersection of technology and financial markets.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
8+ years of software development experience with distributed, backend systems, preferably in a high-performance or near real-time environment
Strong proficiency in one or more JVM-based languages (Scala, Java, or Kotlin); experience with reactive, message-driven frameworks is highly valued
Proven experience designing and building RESTful APIs and WebSocket services for external partners or B2B platforms
Experience with Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure (preferably GCP), with a focus on scalability and high availability
Deep understanding of modern distributed systems and ability to troubleshoot across the full stack (HTTP/HTTPS, WebSockets, TLS, TCP/IP, DNS)
Strong understanding of security best practices for exposed APIs and backend services: authentication, authorization, data isolation, encryption, and audit logging
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to take full ownership of projects—from design through deployment, maintenance, and iteration
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; a collaborative team player who seeks feedback and drives continual improvement
Demonstrated use of AI coding agents and tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, or equivalent) to meaningfully improve personal and team productivity — treating AI-assisted development as a standard part of the modern engineering workflow

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with financial systems and trading concepts: orders, fills, margin, account lifecycle, and regulated workflows (KYC/AML, reporting)
Experience with FIX protocol, market data feeds, or brokerage integration patterns (FCM, clearing, or embedded finance platforms)
Background in multi-tenant SaaS platform architectures, partner onboarding, and API rate limiting strategies
Experience working in a regulated fintech, trading, or brokerage environment
Familiarity with Pub/Sub messaging systems (e.g., GCP Pub/Sub) and event-driven architectures
Familiarity with Node.js, particularly for API integration or SDK-adjacent backend work

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain high-quality backend services that power the NT Connect brokerage API platform, ensuring scalability, reliability, and low-latency performance
Architect and implement RESTful and WebSocket APIs for partner integrations, including introducing brokers, fintech partners, and third-party trading platforms
Deploy and manage backend services in a Kubernetes/GCP environment, with a focus on availability, resilience, and observability
Implement robust monitoring, logging, and alerting solutions using industry-standard observability tooling (e.g., OpenTelemetry) to track and analyze system performance in real time
Collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to deliver end-to-end solutions that meet partner requirements, compliance standards, and business goals
Uphold and elevate engineering quality through code reviews, test coverage, CI/CD pipelines, release readiness, and incident response
Drive architectural decisions and technical roadmap planning, helping shape the evolution of the NT Connect platform
Leverage AI coding agents (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code) and modern developer tooling to accelerate delivery, improve code quality, and raise the team’s engineering velocity