From deep data to disciplined execution, the market is shifting. Here’s what leaders need to know.
When Paul Humphrey, CEO of BMLL Technologies, talked about building one of the most sophisticated data infrastructures in the trading space, he wasn’t just talking about product.
He was talking about people.
And if you read between the lines, you’ll spot the early signals of where trading technology is heading and the new expectations for the teams powering it.
At Ocean Red Partners, we specialise in hiring for trading tech firms. From systematic hedge funds to data vendors, SaaS firms to energy platforms, we see these patterns play out every week. Below, we’ve pulled five key market signals from Humphrey’s conversation, and what they mean for anyone hiring or looking to be hired in this space.
1. You Can’t Trade Without Engineers Anymore
“You can’t trade anything these days unless you’re an engineer, data scientist, or mathematician.”
This isn’t a trend—it’s now table stakes. Even commercial teams are under pressure to be more technical, more data-literate, and more fluent in the infrastructure behind their product.
What it means for hiring:
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The line between product and quant is blurring.
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Candidates who can talk API integrations, data pipeline reliability, or model latency even at a high level stand out.
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Firms need to rethink job specs for non-technical roles. Business Analysts, Product Managers, and Sales Engineers all need a new baseline of technical fluency.
2. Productivity, Not Headcount, Is the New Hiring KPI
“We hire amazing engineers and then have them spend 80% of their time cleaning bad data. Why not let them build instead?”
This quote hits hard because it’s true across the board. Firms are no longer throwing bodies at problems. They’re asking: Are our best people actually doing their best work?
What it means for hiring:
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Don’t just look at output, look at friction.
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Talent wants to be leveraged, not micromanaged.
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Investing in internal platforms, clean data, and usable documentation isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a talent retention strategy.
3. Deep Specialisation Is Beating Generalist Expansion
“We had customers asking us for FX and fixed income data… but we stuck to equities until we had 98% global ADV.”
The temptation to grow fast is always there. But the firms that win are those who stay disciplined, build complete verticals, and only expand once their systems and their teams can scale with confidence.
What it means for hiring:
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Don’t hire generalists just to plug short-term gaps.
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Look for depth in niche domains (e.g. market microstructure, options symbology, regulatory data) and build outward from there.
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For candidates: deep domain expertise is now a defensible edge even in a world of LLMs and automation.
4. Scaling Globally Requires Senior Local Talent
“If you’re trying to run US expansion by remote control from the UK, it will fail. You start at the top.”
We’ve seen this repeatedly. EMEA-based firms trying to crack the US (or APAC) by flying in once a quarter, or hiring junior boots-on-the-ground. It doesn’t work.
What it means for hiring:
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If you’re going global, hire leadership first, not salespeople first.
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Senior local talent shortens the trust curve with customers and candidates alike.
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For candidates: regional market knowledge (regulations, exchanges, customer behaviours) is now a premium skill, especially if you can operate across borders.
5. Buy-to-Build Is Reshaping How Tech Teams Operate
“The best firms are building strategies on top of our data. They’re not building infrastructure anymore, they’re building intelligence.”
This is a subtle but critical shift. The best quant and trading firms aren’t wasting time building ingest engines and normalisation layers anymore. They’re buying quality infrastructure so their talent can focus on strategy and performance.
What it means for hiring:
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Teams are becoming smaller but sharper.
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Experience in using external APIs, platforms (Snowflake, BMLL, etc.), and tooling stacks to accelerate output is key.
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For hiring managers: don’t optimise for “build it all from scratch” devs. Optimise for integrators, scalers, and signal extractors.
Final Thought:
No One Wants to Hire a Headache.
Just like investors, hiring managers are becoming more disciplined, more risk-aware, and more focused on outcomes over optics.
At Ocean Red, we’re seeing demand shift toward:
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Engineers who understand trading.
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Product managers who understand data.
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Leaders who can scale globally and act locally.
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Teams that are lean, fast, and built for precision—not just size.
So if you’re hiring, or looking to be hired, in this new era of trading tech, think less about roles. And more about leverage.
Want help finding the kind of people who build competitive advantage, not just code?
Let’s talk.