Trading Engineer

About the Company

At 21co Technologies, our mission centers on building scalable bridges into the world of cryptocurrency. By creating DeFi accessibility through traditional financial standards, we bring ourselves one step closer to the equitable financial future we all believe in.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced, mid to senior-level Trading Engineer to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise with strong understanding of financial markets, particularly in cryptocurrency trading. This role bridges the gap between traditional finance and cutting-edge blockchain technology, developing and maintaining the systems that power our trading operations.

As a Trading Engineer, you will be at the forefront of designing and implementing high-performance trading systems that operate in diverse market conditions across multiple cryptocurrency exchanges. You will collaborate with traders, quantitative researchers, and product managers to build and optimize trading infrastructure that supports various instrument types, including spot, futures, perpetuals, and shorts. Your work will directly impact our trading strategies’ execution efficiency, risk management capabilities, and overall market performance, making this a critical role within our organization.

Responsibilities and Scope

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance trading systems and algorithms for various market conditions
• Implement trading strategies for crypto markets, including futures, perpetuals, and shorts
• Architect and implement scalable, low-latency, and fault-tolerant systems to handle high-concurrency workloads
• Optimize trading execution to minimize market impact and maximize performance
• Monitor trading systems to ensure reliability, security, and compliance
• Analyze market data to identify trends and opportunities for system improvements
• Design and implement strategies for basis trading and funding rate arbitrage across exchanges
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in real-time trading environments
• Develop risk management systems to protect against market volatility and liquidation risks
• Implement and maintain connections to various cryptocurrency exchanges and trading venues
• Integrate with third-party APIs (REST, WebSocket, FIX), normalizing and aggregating real-time market data
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including traders, researchers, and product managers
• Participate in the continuous improvement of trading infrastructure and methodologies

What You Will Need To Be Great In This Role

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Finance, or related field; advanced degree, preferred
• 6+ years of professional software engineering experience, with 3+ years specifically in a trading firm or financial technology environment
• Strong programming skills in at least one of following languages: Python, Rust, and/or Typescript
• Comprehensive understanding of financial markets, trading mechanics, and market microstructure
• Demonstrated experience with cryptocurrency trading primitives including spot, futures, shorts, and perpetual contracts
• Knowledge of funding rates, leverage, liquidation mechanisms, and risk management in crypto markets
• Experience working with exchange APIs, order routing, and execution algorithms
• Proficiency with data structures, algorithms, and software design patterns
• Understanding of distributed systems and high-throughput, low-latency architecture
• Experience with real-time data processing and analysis
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and attention to detail
• Ability to perform well under pressure in fast-paced trading environments

Our Stack

• Languages: Python, Typescript
• Databases: MongoDB, PostgreSQL
• Technologies: Kafka, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP
• Trading Interfaces: REST APIs, WebSockets, FIX Protocol
• Analytics: Prometheus, Grafana
• Version Control: Git

Preferred

• Experience with market making or algorithmic trading strategies
• Knowledge of DeFi protocols and on-chain trading mechanisms
• Experience with high-frequency trading systems
• Familiarity with basis trading and related arbitrage strategies
• Experience implementing and optimizing trading execution algorithms
• Knowledge of risk management frameworks in cryptocurrency markets
• Contributions to open-source projects or trading tools
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP)
• Background in quantitative analysis or financial engineering
• Implementation of trading strategy backtesting frameworks
• Understanding of crypto market microstructure and exchange fee structures
• Experience with real-time performance monitoring and optimization

This role will be based in Zurich, Switzerland and will be expected to work from our Zurich office Monday-Wednesday, in a hybrid capacity.