Junior Quantitative Strategist

Posted:
7/15/2024, 6:58:27 AM

Location(s):
Illinois, United States ⋅ Chicago, Illinois, United States

Experience Level(s):
Junior ⋅ Mid Level

Field(s):
Quantitative Finance ⋅ Software Engineering

Pay:
$115/hr or $239,200 total comp

About Akuna:

Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market-maker – meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies and mathematical models. 

Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai and London.

What you’ll do as a Junior Quantitative Strategist on the Quant Trading & Research team at Akuna:

Akuna’s Quant Strategy Group is a multidisciplinary team composed of traders, quant developers, and researchers embedded with specific trading desks. The team is looking to add Junior Quantitative Strategists who will make a direct and measurable impact on our trading decisions and performance. 

We are searching for creative thinkers with strong programming backgrounds who can convert ideas into trading solutions, tighten our innovation cycle through rapid prototyping of performant production code, and have a desire to develop a deep understanding of financial markets. Junior Quant Strategists are expected to build on these skills to communicate fluently with traders, quants and engineers in their own domains.

No prior experience with financial markets is required. Junior Quant Strategists will participate in Akuna’s training program and bootstrap their knowledge through a rotational program alongside members of the QSG. In this role you will:

  • Identify and execute on ideas to further automate our trading
  • Quantify the expected and actual impact of innovations on our results
  • Develop and maintain ownership over automated trading strategies
  • Rotational training program where you will get exposure to 4 different desks

Requirements for this role:

  • BS/MS/PhD degree in a technical field – Engineering, Computer Science, Math, Physics (or related subject) must be completed upon employment
  • Strong programming skills in Python 
  • Desire and ability to learn the intricacies of financial markets
  • GPA of 3.5 or above
  • Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required on the first day of employment including F-1 students using OPT or STEM

Qualities that make great candidates:

  • Strong math aptitude, numerical and quantitative analysis skills 
  • Entrepreneurial self-starter ready to work in a fast paced and competitive team environment
  • The ability to communicate effectively and efficiently across multiple domains 
  • Exposure to financial markets and trading

Please note: This year, candidates will only be considered for their top preference role due to the high volume of applications we receive. By submitting this application, you acknowledge that you will not be considered for other Tech and/or Quant roles at Akuna for this recruiting season. 

**Resumes must be submitted in PDF format.