The Challenge
The role had been open for some time with limited traction in the market.
Previous searches had produced candidates who were either strong quantitative researchers without the production engineering capability required, or experienced low-latency C++ engineers with little exposure to live trading strategy development.
There was also hesitation around candidates coming from sell-side firms, despite many having directly relevant ownership across trading infrastructure and strategy systems.
The key was finding someone who could bridge both sides of the role: strategy logic and production-grade systems engineering.
Our Solution
Rather than focusing purely on buy-side profiles, we targeted senior individuals across sell-side electronic trading teams.
One candidate stood out in particular. Although from a sellside background, they had direct ownership of both HFT strategy development and trading infrastructure.
We repositioned the profile for the client, framing them as a strategy engineer with highly transferable experience, rather than a traditional bank developer.
The process was kept focused and selective throughout, prioritising alignment over volume.
The Result
The candidate was hired as a Strategy Developer and successfully transitioned from sell side into buy side – a move that is often difficult within this market. The client fed back that they ramped quickly and brought immediate depth across both strategy logic and systems thinking. The success of the hire also led to further placements within senior strategy and infrastructure teams.
8
CVs submitted within 72
hours
6
Candidates progressed
to 1st interview
3
Placements made within
2 months
