
Data Platform Operations Engineer – Performance at IMC (Chicago, IL)
IMC· Chicago, IL· $185k–$225k·
Role details
Job description
We are looking for a data-focused engineer with a strong operational focus to support the Performance Team’s data platform at IMC. This role is responsible for the reliability, correctness, and performance of data systems that directly support performance analysis and decision-making.
The role is production-facing and works closely with the Performance team and aligned stakeholders to ensure data workflows are robust, observable, and efficient.
What you’ll do:
- Own the operational health of the Performance Team’s data platform
- Monitor and maintain ETLs and data pipelines for correctness, timeliness, and stability
- Design and maintain data quality checks, reports, and alerting specific to performance data
- Investigate and resolve data issues and pipeline failures, driving problems to root cause
- Own and troubleshoot GitLab CI/CD pipeline issues related to performance data workflows
- Monitor workloads and resource usage; identify and resolve imbalances and bottlenecks
- Build and maintain operational tooling, automation, and runbooks
- Continuously tune data pipelines and workloads to improve performance and resource efficiency
What you bring:
- 3+ years of experience in software engineering or data engineering with an operational or production focus
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field is strongly preferred
- Proficiency in Python, with hands-on experience using PySpark and Pandas
- Experience supporting production ETL or data processing systems
- Familiarity with Git-based development workflows and CI/CD systems (GitLab preferred)
- Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
- Comfortable taking ownership in a performance- and reliability-critical environment
Nice to Have
- Experience working with performance-critical or high-throughput systems
- Exposure to workload scheduling, resource management, or cluster-based compute
What Success Looks Like
- Performance data pipelines are reliable, observable, and trusted
- Issues are detected early and resolved quickly with clear root-cause ownership
- Workloads are well-balanced and systems run efficiently
The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visit Benefits - US | IMC Trading for more comprehensive information.
Salary Range $185,000—$225,000 USD
About Us
IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.
Why work at IMC
- Culture & Values: High-performance, collaborative, and non-hierarchical. 87% of employees say "IMC is a great place to work" (+4% vs global top-10%). imc.com
- Work Environment: Office-based (no remote policy indicated). Offers free catered breakfast and lunch, snacks, drinks, and Friday socials. Regular team events including an annual weekend trip.
- Compensation & Benefits: Competitive compensation with subsidized gym memberships, ergonomic desks, and health/well-being programs.
- Learning & Development: Extensive internal and external training programs. Graduates undergo a multi-week Graduate Traineeship (Trading School, Development School, FPGA School).
- Diversity: Employees represent 70+ nationalities, with a strong commitment to D&I.
- Giving Back: A share of profits is donated to non-profits, with a focus on education. Employees get volunteer time, donation matching, and grants.