Head of Algorithmic Trading Operations

Head of Algorithmic Trading Operations

Department: Trading Operations

Reports To: Managing Member / CCO

Start Date: Immediate

About KHawk

KHawk, LLC is a proprietary algorithmic trading firm headquartered in Woodmere, New York. We operate a suite of fully systematic trading strategies across US equities and CME futures, with a focus on precision execution, rigorous risk management, and continuous operational excellence.

Our team is small, highly capable, and moves fast. Every person on the team owns their domain completely.

The Role

We are looking for a hands-on Head of Algorithmic Trading Operations to own the live production trading environment end-to-end. This is not a supervisory or strategy role — this is the person who sits in the seat, watches the systems, and makes sure nothing breaks. You are the last line of defense between a minor system issue and a major trading loss.

If you are the type of person who gets uncomfortable when a dashboard is red, who reads logs for fun, and who loses sleep thinking about what could go wrong in a live trading system — this role was built for you.

Responsibilities

• Monitor all live algorithmic trading systems in real time throughout the trading day
• Verify that all Docker containers and system processes are running correctly before market open and throughout the session
• Identify, triage, and escalate system errors, anomalies, and latency issues before they impact trading
• Track real-time P&L, position exposure, and drawdown against defined risk thresholds
• Intervene and execute manual overrides or position exits when automated systems fail or risk limits are breached
• Maintain and review pre-market and post-market checklists to confirm operational readiness
• Coordinate with the technology team to resolve infrastructure issues quickly
• Document all incidents, system failures, and interventions with root cause analysis
• Monitor exchange connectivity, order routing, and execution quality across all active strategies
• Proactively identify operational risks and recommend process improvements to prevent future failures
• Maintain runbooks and standard operating procedures for all critical operational tasks

Required Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in trading operations, production support, or a similar role at a trading firm, hedge fund, or prop shop
• Hands-on experience monitoring live algorithmic or systematic trading systems in production
• Working knowledge of Docker containers and basic Linux/Unix system administration
• Ability to read and interpret system logs to identify errors and performance issues
• Strong understanding of futures and/or equities market microstructure and trading risk concepts
• High stress tolerance — you must be calm, decisive, and effective when systems are failing during market hours
• Exceptional attention to detail with a zero-tolerance mindset for operational errors
• Self-starter who takes full ownership without needing to be managed

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CME futures (ES, NQ, TN) and/or US equity execution
• Familiarity with AWS EC2, PM2, Nginx, or similar infrastructure
• Ability to write basic scripts (Python or Bash) for monitoring automation
• Experience working at a small prop trading firm or family office where you wore multiple hats
• Exposure to risk management systems and P&L reconciliation

What We Offer

• Base salary
• Annual discretionary performance bonus
• Direct access to senior leadership and full visibility into firm operations
• A lean, high-performance team environment where your work has immediate, measurable impact
• Opportunity to grow with the firm as we scale our strategy suite and capital base

How to Apply

Send your resume and a brief note on your background in live trading operations to:

Please include any specific examples of trading systems or infrastructure you have managed in production. Applications without relevant trading operations experience will not be considered.