Software Developer
DRW · Chicago, IL
$225,000from the description
Jul 14, 2026
Chicago, IL
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A software development role at a proprietary trading firm, focused on building and maintaining systems across the full technology stack — including trading strategy simulation, low-latency execution, real-time risk platforms, large-scale data pipelines, and exchange protocol adapters. Suited to late-stage students (graduating December 2026–June 2027) with strong fundamentals in C++, Java, or Python and an interest in performance-critical, algorithmically complex software.
Junior level · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI · Bachelor's required · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 1,050 people in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (software developers). range 800–1,400
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $137,335 (middle half $106,829–$171,337). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (6)
This is a new-graduate / entry-level role: the JD explicitly targets candidates graduating between December 2026 and June 2027 (Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD). Seniority is assessed as Junior despite the high base salary, which reflects DRW's compensation philosophy rather than seniority level.
The compensation is stated as a single figure ('$225,000') with no range, suggesting a fixed base for this cohort hire.
C++, Java, and Python are listed together as interchangeable proficiency options ('modern C++, Java or Python'); C++ is named first and is most consistent with the low-latency/trading systems context, with Java and Python captured as alternatives.
Skills such as API design, UI development, real-time programming, and GUI programming appear in the requirements section but name no specific technology or tool, so they are omitted per extraction rules.
The degree requirement is hard-gated (graduation window specified); Bachelor's is the minimum, though Master's and PhD are also accepted.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): object-oriented design.
Read the full posting
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