NinjaTrader Named One of Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago™ for 2026

News · June 15, 2026

NinjaTrader-a Chicago-based fintech platform for retail futures trading-was named one of the 2026 Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago, an award determined entirely by employee feedback through the Great Place To Work® Trust Index™ survey.

We'll be honest: this one feels different. We've worked hard to build a workplace that reflects the same values we bring to our platform-transparency, performance, and a genuine belief that when people are set up to thrive, great things follow. Seeing that reflected back by our own team? That's worth celebrating.

If you're curious what's behind the recognition, or thinking about joining us, read on.

What the Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago recognition means

The Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago list is published annually by Great Place To Work in partnership with Fortune. Companies must first earn Great Place To Work Certification-and it's the Trust Index survey scores from that certification process that determine eligibility and ranking for the Fortune list.

Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago recognition is based on confidential employee surveys measuring trust, collaboration, and organizational culture, not editorial selection or nominations. The methodology also weights results based on company size, so no single large employer dominates the list.

That distinction matters. There are a lot of workplace rankings out there. This one is earned from the inside out. You can view the full list of 2026 honorees at Fortune's Best Workplaces Chicago area ranking(Opens in a new window).

For NinjaTrader, being named to this list is more than a plaque for the wall. We've spent years earning the trust of traders-this award says we're earning the trust of our own team, too.

Why this recognition is earned, not given

Here's what sets it apart: NinjaTrader didn't write this story. Our team did. The ranking reflects what employees reported anonymously through the Great Place To Work Trust Index survey. Only that feedback shapes the outcome.

And the team was clear:

How NinjaTrader earned a spot on the list

NinjaTrader's place on the 2026 Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago list builds on three consecutive years of Great Place To Work Certification (2023, 2024, and 2025).

So what's behind that track record? A few things stand out:

• Internal career development and clear pathways for growth
• Competitive compensation benchmarked to the market
• Hybrid work environment at our Chicago Loop headquarters
• Culture of openness, where feedback flows in both directions
• Cross-functional collaboration across a global, growing team

These aren't things we do for an award. They're how we operate. They're things we do consistently-and the Trust Index results reflect that.

What employees said about working here

That 88% figure doesn't come from a single enthusiastic team or a banner quarter. It reflects how people at NinjaTrader feel across departments, roles, and tenure levels.

The survey digs into what reveals a workplace's real character-and we're proud of what our team's answers showed.

The role of NinjaTrader's Trust Index survey results

We don't just submit to the Trust Index survey and wait for results. It's one of the primary tools we use to understand what's working and what needs attention-and to make better decisions about how we show up for our team.

High scores on dimensions like management credibility and cross-team collaboration reflect real effort that's gone into how we work-things like leadership transparency, team rituals that actually connect people, and processes that don't get in the way of good work.

And where there's room to improve? That's useful information, too.

What it's like to work at NinjaTrader

NinjaTrader operates from its Chicago Loop headquarters and serves more than 2 million traders worldwide through its futures trading platform. Day to day, that means working on a product that's actively used by a large, engaged community of traders-people who rely on us to get things right.

Our team is a mix of traders, engineers, designers, marketers, compliance professionals, and support specialists. We're building modern trading infrastructure and the tools that go with it, which keeps the work interesting. There's genuine complexity here, and people who like solving hard problems tend to thrive.

We also try to take the "Great Place To Work" part seriously year-round. That means honest communication when things change, real investment in people's growth, and a consistent effort to make sure NinjaTrader is a place where people want to build their careers.

Culture, growth, and how we show up for our team

A few things shape what the culture at NinjaTrader feels like:

• Growth that's real, not theoretical NinjaTrader is growing-which means opportunities to take on more responsibility, move into new roles, and develop new skills are genuine. We promote from within and invest in the people who invest in us.
• Collaboration over silos We work across teams more than we work in them. That cross-functional way of working makes for better outcomes and better relationships.
• A culture that takes feedback seriously Feedback doesn't disappear here. Manager conversations, retrospectives, and skip-levels all feed into how we work-and we try to make sure something actually changes as a result.
• Being part of something larger As a Payward company, team members get the scale of a global organization with the focus of NinjaTrader's distinct mission: building better futures for all traders.

Taken together, these aren't perks. They're the conditions that make work worth doing.

Our Chicago Loop home base

We're based in the heart of Chicago's downtown business district, next to the Chicago River, with transit access from every direction. For a futures trading company, there's something fitting about being in Chicago, a city with deep roots in derivatives markets and financial innovation.

Our office is hybrid, which means we're intentional about the time we spend together in person. Team gatherings, collaborative work sessions, and onboarding all happen here. Remote work is supported and respected-but when we're in the office, we make it count.

Three years of Great Place To Work Certification and counting

Being Great Place To Work Certified for three consecutive years reflects something more important than a single strong year. It reflects consistency. Cultures that show up in one survey and disappear in the next tend to have good years, not good foundations.

Our goal isn't to optimize for the certification. Our goal is to build a workplace that people are proud of-and then let the results reflect that.

The Fortune Best Workplaces in Chicago recognition is one more data point that we're on the right track.

Join us-we're hiring

If what you've read here resonates-if you want to work on a product that matters to the people who use it, in a culture that takes both performance and people seriously-we'd love to hear from you.

We're growing across engineering, product, marketing, compliance, and operations. And we're building the kind of team that earns recognition like this-not by chasing it, but by doing the work.

Stay connected with everything NinjaTrader at our Newsroom.