UNIX Application Support Engineer (3C8D739)

Referment is partnering with a leading pan-European trading platform to find a talented Unix Application Support Engineer to join their growing operations team in Madrid.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a high-performance, real-time trading environment, supporting critical systems that power financial markets across Europe and beyond.

The Role

You will be part of a highly skilled team responsible for supporting both production and test trading platforms, ensuring stability, performance, and reliability in a fast-paced environment.

This role is dedicated to application support, providing a great opportunity for those looking to apply their Unix skills to complex financial software systems. Please note that this is a specialized application support position rather than a pure system administration or cybersecurity role.

This role is particularly exciting as the business expands into the US market, meaning you will play a key part in supporting international trading activity. To support these global markets, applicants must be available to work a late shift pattern from 16:00 to 00:00 CET. We operate a hybrid working model, requiring team members to attend the office 3 days a week.

What You Will Be Doing

• Monitoring trading platforms and responding to incidents
• Troubleshooting, recovery, and root cause analysis
• Automating tasks and reporting (Bash, Python, Perl)
• Supporting application deployments and change processes
• Working with financial messaging protocols (FIX / ITCH)
• Analysing Unix system performance
• Collaborating with Ops, QA, Dev, and Market Control teams

What We Are Looking For

• Expert-level Unix/Linux command line experience is essential
• Advanced scripting skills in Bash, Python, and/or Perl, with the ability to demonstrate strong scripting logic and constructs
• Availability to work late shifts (16:00 to 00:00 CET)
• A proactive mindset with a clear focus on application support over system administration or cybersecurity
• Commitment to a hybrid working model, attending the office 3 days a week
• Solid troubleshooting and problem-solving ability
• Experience with monitoring tools and system performance
• Familiarity with regular expressions
• Fluent written and spoken English is essential
• Candidates must already be based in Spain with the right to work

Nice to Have

• Networking knowledge (TCP/IP, UDP, Multicast) and the ability to explain fundamental protocol differences
• Experience with low-latency systems
• Exposure to financial markets or trading environments, specifically with FIX or ITCH protocols
• Experience with monitoring tools like Nagios, Opsview, or Zabbix
• Spanish language skills (useful for local team interaction)
• Basic SQL or web technologies
• A short notice period

What Is On Offer

• Performance-related bonus
• Hybrid working (3 days in the office)
• Collaborative, international team environment
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge trading systems

Please note: Candidates must already have the right to work in Spain and be locally based. No sponsorship or relocation assistance is available for this position.

#Referment