IT Jobs in finance - Base Salaries of approx $125K + significant bonuses

[Lucky Luciano]

Some may have noticed that I often post finance related stuff here on DU. That is because I actually used to be a quantitative analyst for 1.5 years and a trader for about 1.5 years before getting laid off despite my positive perfrormance. The trouble is that I did not have the critical mass of about 4-5 years in one specific aspect of finance or in some kind of hardcore IT role that might be outside of finance to get my foot back in the door.

However, one of the headhunters I worked with liked very much the way I handled a process in order to try to get myself a job with his help (basically finding all the names of people at the company, checking to see if anyone knew them and having people I have worked with in the past give glowing and honest recommendations about me).

As such, that headhunter asked me to join forces with him to see if I can help place people in IT roles in finance - or quantitative finance roles - or any other role in finance that I can come up with for that matter. I did generate a lot of contacts from being in the field and will use them first, but I did notice that there seems to be a fair amount of competent IT people who probably have seen their roles diminished over the years through outsourcing. The kinds of roles we would have in mind are quite cutting edge and would be very difficult to outsource - so you would have to be very very good and have experience well outside of the vanilla IT roles (that typically get outsourced).

Any job I try to place will always have a six figure base salary that would probably average around $125K to $200K depending on experience. Bonuses can be very substantial - ranging from 50% to 1000% - or more - but those big ones obviously mean you are using your IT skills to do a lot of algorithmic statistical arbitrage and that you are generating big PnLs.

The jobs will be very intense and could be 10-12 hours per day or more. Time for lunch breaks is limited to grabbing something and bringing it back to your desk because it is hard to be off the desk when trading is happening. Some places give 4 weeks of vacation per year and all the usual benefits.

I am happy to discuss some general strategies with people here who might be a fit in this thread. For people who may want to take it to the next level, feel free to PM me. I am pretty technical and competent as well and will likely be able to do a lot of screening before sending off to a client.

Most jobs would be in NYC, Stamford/Greenwich in CT, Chicago, London - with occassional outliers elsewhere.

[SKKY]

1. Well, since you offered, I'd like to ask you a question...

...since you're in the position to hire, so to speak. I've reached an important crossroad. I just finished my B.S. in Information Systems Management. I have 14 years of IT experience, all of which is military related, but still applicable to the civilian sector. Right now, the difficult decision is which Master's to pursue. I'm leaning toward Information Assurance, but keep hearing from people that an MBA is the way to go. Any insight you might have that would make me more attractive to individuals just like yourself would be greatly appreciated. :patriot:

[Lucky Luciano]

2. Here are some job specs.

Typically C++ superstardom is required for all of these. I would be very biased towards those having strong technical skills. In automated trading, real time data quality is incredibly important. A strong quantitative background would be very useful too, so time series analysis and econometrics would be very valuable. The more quantitative the MBA program, the better. There is also the MFE (masters in financial engineering). I would stick with the MBA because it gives you more opportunities if Wall St is still closed to newbies as it is now - just try to make the MBA more quantitative. I don't care about the MBA soft skills so much.

*Quantitative Researcher - a financial researcher with experience of looking for alphas in the asset classes of equities, futures, and currencies, medium or high frequency. Position based in Greenwich CT

*Portfolio Managers - We are planning to hire up to 20 Portfolio Managers in 2009. The ideal candidate will have a track record of running a book in the asset classes of equities (medium and high frequencies, proven track record or very strong idea exposure with concrete simulations), futures (sharpes 2+ only), and currencies (sharpes 2+ only). Position based in NY, CT, London, Paris or Singapore.

*High Frequency (HF) Strategist (1): Looking for someone to develop HF strategies in multiple asset classes (equities, futures, and FX) using the in-house HF simulator. The person should be proficient in C++/Linux, can generate creative ideas, and be able to handle details efficiently. Working experience with back testing or running an actual HF strategy is a plus. Position based in CT.

*Foreign Exchange (FX) Strategist (1): Looking for someone to develop FX strategies using the in-house FX simulator. The person should be proficient in C++/Linux, can generate creative ideas, and be able to handle details efficiently. Working experience with back testing or running an actual FX strategy is a plus. Position based in CT.

*Equity Portfolio Strategists (2): Looking for someone to develop equity strategies using the in-house simulator. The person should be proficient in C++/Linux, can generate creative ideas, and be able to handle details efficiently. Working experience of optimization, Bayesian statistics, or machine learning is a plus. Position based in CT.

*Quant/Developers (2): In the high-frequency space (equities + futures) space. Good C++; equities or futures high-frequency modeling experience; desire to be part of a group of multi-asset class quant traders; formulaic compensation. Positions can be in either New York, NY or Greenwich, CT.

*Trading Strategy Operator: Join a tightly-knit team of quantitative traders across the US and Asia to develop and maintain automated trading infrastructure for medium- and high-frequency equities, futures and currencies. Must be able to communicate clearly and interact with traders on a daily basis while monitoring trading strategies during US market hours. Proficiency in UNIX systems required. Knowledge of Python, C++, and prior experience developing software strongly desired. No prior financial experience required. Due to the international nature of our operations, occasional night and weekend work may be required. Position based in Greenwich, CT with a possibility for New York, NY.

*Associate Portfolio Manager-HF Equity (1): Join a tightly-knit team of quantitative traders across the US and Asia to develop and manage automated trading strategies in the high-frequency equity space. Collaborate with experienced PMs (8-year track record) while maintaining responsibility for own P&L. Candidates should be financially sophisticated, self-motivated and have an eye for detail. Proficiency in C++ under UNIX/Linux required. Prior experience with HF/intraday trading preferred. Position based in Greenwich CT; New York a possibility.