In the fast-paced world of finance and technology, Citadel is a beacon for high-performing talent, especially tech talent who are able to enter through the firm’s NXT Engineering Network. This network serves as a launchpad for engineers to tackle high-impact projects while simultaneously fostering their professional growth.
Whether entering Citadel from a finance firm, software company or another background, every individual who joins the NXT Network becomes part of a dynamic environment that offers mentorship, networking opportunities, structured training and the runway to embrace new challenges.
Built In heard from two NXT Network engineers as well as Chief Technology Officer Umesh Subramanian about the benefits and opportunities for participants.
‘I enjoy having to think two steps ahead.’
“What sets Citadel apart is the ability to work closely with the people you’re building software for,” NXT Network alum Chirag told Built In. “Everyone who is part of the lifecycle of what I’m working on sits right around me or is a phone call away. Given how quickly we iterate to come to a final solution, the environment is dynamic, fast-paced and keeps me on my toes. I enjoy that feeling of having to think two steps ahead.”
“The environment is dynamic, fast-paced and keeps me on my toes. I enjoy having to think two steps ahead.”
When he first arrived at Citadel, Chirag wasn’t entirely confident about his understanding of the financial world.
“I came from a big tech background, and I had no idea about finance when I first joined the team,” he said. “In addition to the structured training and programs that were offered through NXT, it was helpful to meet other people trying to build our baseline financial knowledge.”
Chirag built that knowledge quickly on the trading floor, both through his daily work with investment professionals and developers, and through a robust series of roundtables, learning sessions and networking events offered by the NXT Network.
“I met people through NXT networking events or spoke to people organizing the programs to say what I wanted to learn and ask who I should talk to,” he said. “They were always very forthcoming with helping me understand and broaden my opportunities within Citadel.”
He added, “The NXT Network gave me the perfect understanding of where I wanted to go.”
After two years working at headquarters, Chirag was ready to explore more, and the professional networks he established through NXT enhanced his career journey.
“I realized that I wanted to help new trading teams get ramped up all over the globe,” he said. “I enjoy working with teams which have just started their process and are looking to scale and build out a good workflow, both on the research side as well as in trading and engineering.”
Citadel provided the opportunity for Chirag to continue advancing his skills in one of its growing regional offices, and throughout his experiences, he has encountered an engineering culture at the firm that keeps him motivated and challenged.
Chirag’s journey is a testament to the way the NXT Network enhances the experience of ambitious engineers at Citadel. From gaining a deeper understanding of finance to exploring career pathways, the program helped to instill confidence and clarity in Chirag’s professional trajectory and position him on a personalized path towards bold career goals at the firm.
‘Citadel provides all engineers with the dream working environment.’
When Joanna joined the NXT Network as an early-career engineer, she found more than an opportunity to expand her engineering and financial expertise — she also found the support and tools she needed for what she calls a “mindset shift.”
With a background as a developer at a large financial institution, Joanna was well-prepared for the technical aspects of her work, but she found her NXT experience helped her develop from an individual contributor to a tech leader within the firm.
“During the two years of my NXT experience, I felt my mindset had changed,” she said. “It put me in the position to be a stronger engineer and a better collaborator.”
“NXT put me in the position to be a stronger engineer and a better collaborator.”
The journey toward Joanna’s mindset shift was paved by the educational tools and programs provided to all NXT Network members.
“Through communicating with my mentors and colleagues in the NXT Network, I learned how they deal with different projects and how they mentor and manage other people. Gradually, I became a mentor and a manager myself, and I now have a more mature mindset. I am better able to manage projects and support our traders and portfolio managers. I am better able to collaborate with colleagues to deliver an improved system.”
Joanna’s growth has led to a tangible evolution of her career. The NXT Network’s focus on sharing experiences and projects among colleagues facilitated her development, along with Citadel’s empowering and inclusive culture.
“Citadel provides all engineers with the dream working environment, focused on personal development and a flat working structure,” she said.
Joanna believes others will have experiences similar to hers. Her message to interested talent is simple: apply to the network.
“The NXT Network has the best resources you can have in the industry,” she said. “They have all the technical trainings, the mentorship, roundtable sessions and communication with your colleagues. You will learn much faster than you may expect.”
The most important lesson Joanna learned during her time as part of the NXT Network? “I know that I have unlimited potential, and I can make a positive impact on the team,” she said.
‘When you are among exceptional people, you are motivated to do exceptional things.’
Engineering is key to Citadel’s foundation, according to Chief Technology Officer Umesh Subramanian. The firm’s technology powers investment research, trading capabilities and risk management. Therefore, engineers must possess not just technical skills but the ability to identify and solve problems that drive meaningful results.
The NXT Network is a pipeline for engineers who are willing and prepared to make a commercial impact at Citadel.
“We recruit amazing talent who have had an amazing education and have forged an initial part of their career solving interesting problems — and are now curious about Citadel,” he said. “We are going to invest in them to train them in finance and to grow their career, but we are also expecting a lot from them.”
Those high expectations pay off for both parties — the talent and the firm — according to Subramanian.
“They come from a different perspective, and we want to be able to absorb their perspectives to change what we do and make us better,” he said. “We are creating a win-win proposition for our candidates to make their way to Citadel and give them an amazing career in the process.”
The opportunities offered within that amazing career are multifold — rich with potential for technical and interpersonal advancement.
Subramanian himself came to Citadel seeking the opportunity to work across disciplinary boundaries and take on work at the cutting edge, not only of engineering but also computer science, mathematics and finance. In his eyes, the firm’s proposition of high-impact, intellectually challenging problems is unmatched.
“For an engineer that is interested in an interdisciplinary application of computer science, there is no better place than Citadel.”
“For an engineer that is interested in an interdisciplinary application of computer science, there is no better place than Citadel.”
Even more than the sheer challenge of the problems are the opportunities to produce extraordinary results as a team, Subramanian noted.
“At Citadel, exceptional talent is going to be surrounding you, and when you are among exceptional people, you are motivated to do exceptional things,” he said. “We partner and do things that most other people think are really crazy, unimaginable and undoable. We actually get them done.”
These results are as impactful for the individuals’ careers as they are for the firm as a whole.
“Our NXT engineers face the most important problems that are foundational for the firm,” Subramanian said. “And in that, a lot of amazing careers are forged.”
