2025 Internship & Industrial Placement - Software Engineering

Location: London  

Programme duration: 3-6 months or 12-month industrial placement  

Who qualifies: penultimate or final year students completing Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degrees  

Qube Research & Technologies (QRT) is a global quantitative and systematic investment manager, operating in all liquid asset classes across the world. We are a technology and data driven group implementing a scientific approach to investing. Combining data, research, technology, and trading expertise has shaped our collaborative mindset which enables us to solve the most complex challenges. QRT’s culture of innovation continuously drives our ambition to deliver high quality returns for our investors.  

Over the years, QRT has invested in a global research and execution platform which has been deployed to cover all geographies and asset classes. This platform includes everything from high-frequency trading proficiency to extensive multi-year simulation research infrastructures. Our culture is centred around technology, automation, and industrialized processes. We operate in multiple languages from C++ to Python and embrace open-source software.  

You will be joining a community of graduates and interns, who are all looking to build a future career within QRT. We believe in nurturing talent to be successful and are looking for a new cohort of individuals to join the firm in the upcoming year. We offer a stimulating, intellectual and high performing environment, where we foster collaboration.  

You will have the opportunity to join a growing and dynamic environment, where you will be mentored by industry experts to support your professional growth, this includes the prospect of securing a full-time graduate position after successfully completing your internship.  

Your future role at QRT  

The specific team you join will be decided considering both your capabilities and the needs of the company throughout the recruitment process. Here are the potential roles you might fill:  

Core Software Engineer: 

The team specializes in developing and maintaining QRT's global, cross-asset trading system, across all markets. We leverage C++, C# and Python to create robust system services, ensuring seamless operation on both Windows and Linux platforms. Our system plays a key role in managing active positions, calculating real-time risk exposure, and serving as the definitive source of data for regulatory filings. It handles vast amounts of real-time financial data, ensuring reliability, scalability, and compliance in a dynamic trading environment. 

Risk Software Engineer: 

PLRT (P&L and Risk Technology) delivers a strategic P&L (Profit and Loss Reporting) and Risk Management platform for all products and all desks across QRT globally. You will gain exposure to contemporary software approaches at enterprise scale including modern DevOps practices, Cloud and AI. With a ‘cross-asset’ remit for the group you will also acquire knowledge in a range of financial areas from Equities, Derivatives, FX & Fixed Income to Commodities and Crypto. As an engineer you would be part of the overall development team where you will gain first-hand training from highly experienced software engineers many of whom have specialized in Risk Management and/or award-winning financial services technologies for a number of years. The system suite currently uses an expanding list of technologies including AWS, Kotlin, Python & Clickhouse.  

Market Access Software Engineer:  

The Market Access team is responsible for the technology systems that interacts with financial markets, brokers and third-party providers. The team performs critical functions that allow strategies/traders to access real-time market data and execute orders reliably and efficiently. The team plays a pivotal role in support QRT fast expanding business requirements, and to maintain its competitive edge in the market through technology that supports its trading activities. 

Trading Tools Software Engineer:  

The Trading Tools team develops the order generating strategy platforms for our QRT systematic or manual trading desks. We provide a technology layer that offers an easy-to-use interface to our algo quant developers. and sits on top of our inhouse market-access applications that normalize market data and order management. We are looking for a Software Engineer intern or placement year to join the team, our work is very team oriented as we interact very closely with the market-access team and the trading desks quant developers, our code base is also shared to these 2 teams. 

Data Software Engineer:  

The ideal candidate will work closely with the trading and research functions to provide essential reference data, manage the lifecycle of financial products, and generate accurate reports for use across different teams. This role also requires gaining in-depth financial knowledge of the products traded by the QRT, as well as ensuring the quality and accuracy of reference data.  

Here are some examples of projects you could be working on within a Software Engineering team:  

• Developing our ultra-low latency trading system in C++ where we work down to nanosecond latencies and interact with low-level technologies like FPGA’s 
• Building out new large-scale data visualisation platforms and tools in Python using modern web tools and new data science concepts 
• Expanding and re-writing our GUI stack to incorporate new technologies 
• Building out strategic new parts of our platforms using C#/C++/Python and various other technologies like a new risk engine that computes huge volumes of data in real time, and everything else in between 
• Exposure to the following technologies: C/C++/C#/Python/React development, distributed systems, FPGA’s, Linux, Windows, AWS etc. as well as all of our internal software engineering tools 
• We are looking for interns who are willing to learn, creative, and collaborative to support the wider growth and success of the firm  

Your present skillset  

• Penultimate-year students or upcoming graduates pursuing a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in a STEM field (such as Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or a related Engineering discipline) who are on track to achieve a 2:1 or higher 
• A strong enthusiasm for technology and innovation 
• While formal Computer Science training is not required, we are particularly interested in your hands-on experience in software engineering, whether through hobbies, personal projects, open-source contributions, or academic work. Proficiency in C++, C#, or Python is highly desirable 
• Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python or Bash 
• Experience with tools and platforms such as GIT, SQL, GCC, and Linux 
• A proactive, inquisitive mindset. You are unafraid to ask questions and can make a meaningful impact by suggesting and implementing optimizations to improve performance 
• An entrepreneurial spirit with strong self-motivation and a results-driven approach 

 Interviewing:  

• Apply online: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received, so we encourage you to apply early 
• Technical assessment After your application is reviewed, you will be invited to complete a coding challenge to assess your technical skills 
• Shortlisting: Our engineering teams will evaluate your background and performance in the coding challenge to create a shortlist of candidates 
• Assessment Centre: If shortlisted, you will be invited to an onsite assessment centre at our offices. This will include a group activity to test your technical skills, followed by interviews with the engineering teams you may potentially work with 
• Offer: Successful candidates will receive an offer to join our team 

QRT is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome diversity as essential to our success. QRT empowers employees to work openly and respectfully to achieve collective success. In addition to professional achievement, we are offering initiatives and programs to enable employees achieve a healthy work-life balance.