Careers

Join the Wincent Team

Join 150+ professionals responsible for $5bn in daily trading volume.

HFT Performance Engineer

HFT Performance Engineer

Location
Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, UK, Gibraltar
Employment Type
Full time
Location Type
Department
Engineering
Compensation
The posted range represents the typical compensation range for this role. To determine actual compensation we review the market rate of each candidate which can include a variety of factors including qualifications, experience, and location. Additional benefits are shared as part of the job posting.

About us

Imagine building systems that think in microseconds — algorithms that move millions with absolute precision.

We’re engineers driven by performance, reliability, and meaningful innovation in the crypto trading space. Our team — experienced builders from Amazon, and Google, with academic backgrounds from Berkeley, Caltech, ETH, and MIT — is developing a next-generation trading platform that executes orders seamlessly across 10+ exchanges and dozens of tokens.

Here, every line of code matters. Push your work to production, and within minutes it could be driving thousands of trades per hour. It’s fast, impactful, and never dull — the kind of engineering challenge that keeps you sharp and inspired.

About the Performance team

Our team is dedicated to optimizing the performance of the full trading system — from hardware to software. Our guiding principle is simple: reduce latency, improve reliability, and make the entire trading pipeline faster and more efficient.

We work on everything from kernel-level debugging and network stack tuning to market data feed handling and real-time system metrics. This involves performance profiling, hardware benchmarking, and creating tools for trace analysis and monitoring.

Our engineers analyze live production data, prototype system changes, and collaborate with teams across trading, infrastructure, and software to ensure consistent performance improvements.

What will you do in the Performance team

  • Optimize trading system performance – Improve latency, reliability, and efficiency across the full trading stack (hardware, network, and software).

  • Analyze and tune low-level systems – Perform kernel-level debugging, network stack optimization, and hardware benchmarking to enhance system speed.

  • Monitor and profile live trading systems – Collect and analyze real-time performance data, create monitoring tools, and identify bottlenecks.

  • Prototype and implement performance improvements – Test new ideas, optimize configurations, and deploy enhancements in live trading environments.

  • Collaborate across technical teams – Work with trading, infrastructure, and software engineers to ensure consistent, measurable system improvements.

What we expect from you

  • Senior Expertise (5+ years) with low-latency hardware and software

  • Strong background in Kernel Linux, Network Engineering, and Deep Network Knowledge.

  • Understanding of market data feeds, order books, and exchange-level protocols.

  • Experience with performance testing tools and scripting.

Interview process

  • Introductory call: Introductory chat with our recruiter.

  • Technical Screening: Interview with one of our engineers to assess your technical skills.

  • Technical Interview: In-depth discussion and problem-solving session.

  • Trading Interview (optional): Focused on trading knowledge and reasoning.

  • Soft Skills Interview: Discussion about past experiences and communication style.

  • Interview with CEO

The entire interview process is online.

Compensation, work arrangement, and benefits

  • We offer competitive, above-market compensation tailored to your expertise, seniority, and local residency. The typical base salary range is 80,000 – 150,000 per year, with the final offer reflecting each candidate’s individual experience and depth of technical skill. We can go even higher on base salary in specific cases.

  • Every six months, we celebrate impact. This bonus is tied directly to both individual excellence and the fund’s overall performance. When the team wins, you win too. In some exceptional cases, our engineers could get more than 50% of yearly total compensation in bonuses,

  • At Wincent, equity is a part of your compensation package, letting you share directly in the company’s success — when the firm wins, so do you. The equity fund is being regularly reevaluated and has a permanent upward trajectory.

  • Fund Investment: As part of our team, you’ll have the rare opportunity to invest in our flagship multi-strategy fund, which has delivered up to 50% annualized net returns since 2017. You decide how much you want to invest — it’s your chance to grow alongside the firm’s success.

  • Onsite vs Remote: We prefer onsite collaboration in Bratislava (we are more than happy to provide relocation support if needed). However we are also open to remote work, giving you the freedom to work from anywhere. We only ask for two types of “in-person touchpoints” — a 2-week onboarding at the start and quarterly visit to Bratislava, Slovakia.

  • Vacation: We believe great work comes from a balanced life. We have flexible working time and we also offer unlimited paid vacation.

Don’t hesitate and apply today!

Working at Wincent 

At Wincent, we foster a culture of transparency, ownership, and autonomy, where every team member is empowered to make a meaningful impact. We prioritize clear objectives and give you the freedom to innovate and grow within a supportive, high-performing environment.

We value exceptional TOP 1% talent over a perfect match to a job description. If our vision and values resonate with you, we’d love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to reach out—let’s explore how you can be part of shaping the future of cryptocurrency trading with us!

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This job has application limits

Please note: to ensure that candidates select the most relevant jobs for their skills, we have set up limits to the number of times candidates can apply. The following limits apply to all roles at Ashby:

  • Candidates may not apply more than 3 times in any 60 days for any job
  • Candidates may not re-apply to the same role within 90 days if not presented with an offer

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Due to the high volume of applications we receive, for some roles we use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters review your application. In particular, we may use AI tools at the following stages of your application:

  1. CV Screening. We may use a tool that gives insights on how well your CV corresponds to the criteria for the role you applied for. These criteria are chosen by our recruiters, not AI. All insights are reviewed by a human, who takes the decision whether to pass your application through to the next stage individually. This improves outcomes by ensuring you receive a timely response to your application and that a recruiter does not miss relevant experience on your CV; and
  2. Interview Stage. With your express permission at the start of an interview, we may use a AI tool that transcribes the interview, which allows your interviewer to focus more on you instead of note-taking. We may also use an AI tool to provide a summary of the transcript so we can keep track of what was discussed, which helps later interviewers avoid repeating questions. A recruiter may take into account this transcript and summary in deciding whether to pass your application through to the next round.

We process applicant data in accordance with our Data Privacy and Processing Policy, which you can read here. If you have any questions about how we protect or process your data, please contact gdpr@wincent.co

Where You Can Meet Us

If you’re ready to take the next step, find a role that suits your passions, skills and ambitions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the internship?

The internship lasts for 7 weeks. It begins in June and runs through the end of August, taking place fully on-site at our offices. This timeline is designed to give you enough time to work on meaningful projects while still fitting into a summer break.

No, we do not require previous trading experience. Our internship program is designed to teach you the fundamentals of trading and provide hands-on exposure to how markets work. What we value most are strong analytical skills, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. Many of our successful interns come from backgrounds in mathematics, computer science, or engineering, with no direct trading experience before joining.
Yes. We provide comprehensive relocation support to make your transition as smooth as possible. This includes covering your travel expenses and arranging fully paid accommodation for the duration of your internship. Our team will also guide you through the logistics of moving, so you can focus on learning and getting the most out of your experience.
Yes. We provide fully covered accommodation for the entire duration of your internship. Housing is arranged by our team so you don’t need to worry about finding a place yourself, allowing you to focus fully on the program.
Yes. As an intern, you’ll contribute directly to projects that have real impact on our trading strategies and operations. You’ll work alongside experienced traders and engineers, gaining hands-on experience with the same tools and data we use every day. Your work won’t be limited to simulations, you’ll see how your contributions fit into live projects and decision-making.
No. The internship is fully on-site in Bratislava. We believe that being physically present allows interns to learn faster, collaborate closely with traders and engineers, and experience our team culture firsthand. This setup ensures you gain the most from mentorship and real-time feedback.
Yes. High-performing interns may receive a return offer to join us full-time after graduation. Each year, we extend offers to some of our interns who demonstrate strong skills, curiosity, and cultural fit. The internship is designed to give you a real sense of what a long-term career with us could look like, and many of our current team members started as interns.
Return offers are extended to interns who demonstrate exceptional performance, strong problem-solving ability, and a good cultural fit during the program. Depending on your strengths and interests, you may receive an offer to join one of several paths—such as trading, quantitative research, or DeFi. The area of the offer is determined by the skills you showcase during the internship and where we see the best long-term match.

Our interview process is designed to test your problem-solving ability rather than prior experience in trading. We focus on probability, statistics, logical reasoning, and intuition, as well as your ability to think under uncertainty.

The process begins with an online assessment. Successful candidates are then invited to two technical rounds covering probability and statistics. The final stage is an on-site session in Bratislava, where you’ll participate in interactive betting games that simulate real decision-making scenarios.

For a detailed breakdown, please check our interview process.

We aim to get back to all applicants within one week of receiving the initial application. The exact timing can vary depending on the number of applications we’re processing at that moment, but you can expect a timely response and updates throughout the process.

The process typically involves four stages: an online assessment (with a two-week deadline), two technical interviews, and a final on-site round. After you submit your assessment, we schedule interviews as soon as possible based on interviewer availability.

From initial application to final decision, the timeline can vary, but in most cases it takes about one to three weeks. For exceptional candidates who progress quickly and have good scheduling availability, the entire process can sometimes be completed in as little as 10 days.

The application form is designed to be quick and straightforward, so it should take only a few minutes to complete. We keep the process simple to ensure you can focus on showcasing your skills and motivation rather than filling out lengthy paperwork.

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