Senior Quantitative Researcher | Systematic Trading | London

Platinum & Partners is working with a boutique international proprietary trading firm to identify an exceptional Senior Quantitative Researcher for their London office. This is not a conventional alpha research seat.

The firm is looking for someone who combines the intellectual depth of a senior quantitative researcher with the judgement and communication skills of a senior business leader. The successful candidate will act as a trusted technical adviser to the CEO and Leadership Team — conducting alpha research, independently evaluating prospective Portfolio Managers and their strategies, shaping the firm's research infrastructure, and translating complex quantitative conclusions into clear commercial decisions.

It is a rare brief. The right person will be a strong mathematician and experienced quant who complements the entrepreneurial and commercial strengths of an existing management team — and who over time has the ambition and capability to build and lead a broader internal Quant Research function.

THE ROLE

Alpha Research

Research and develop systematic trading signals and strategies, with a focus on ideas capable of reaching live production and generating scalable P&L.

PM & Strategy Due Diligence

Independently evaluate prospective Portfolio Managers and their strategies before hire — assessing the robustness of the research, data and infrastructure requirements, execution assumptions, capacity and scalability, and realistic time to production. Provide an authoritative view on whether a strategy is viable within the firm's platform.

Infrastructure & Research Strategy

Work with engineering and trading teams to identify high-value gaps in data, research tooling, simulation, execution and infrastructure — and help prioritise capabilities that support future alpha generation.

Executive Advisory

Serve as the key quantitative interface between management, Portfolio Managers, researchers and technology teams. Translate complex technical and quantitative issues into clear commercial recommendations for the CEO and Leadership Team, ensuring management has an independent, fact-based view when making decisions around strategies, talent and infrastructure investment.

WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR

• 8+ years of systematic trading research experience with a strong track record of alpha development progressing into live production and P&L
• MSc or PhD in Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Statistics or a related quantitative discipline
• Deep foundations in probability, stochastic processes, statistical learning, optimisation, time series analysis and numerical methods
• Strong knowledge of market microstructure and machine learning applied to financial markets
• Demonstrated understanding of backtesting methodology, overfitting, transaction costs, execution, capacity and scalability
• Strong commercial judgement — the ability to distinguish genuinely interesting research from scalable, executable and economically attractive alpha
• Practical understanding of trading and research infrastructure; able to identify and prioritise capability gaps
• Strong Python; C++ or Java desirable
• Experience working closely with PMs, traders and engineers; able to challenge technical teams with credibility and depth
• Intellectual breadth across systematic trading — able to evaluate strategies and research approaches beyond their own immediate specialisation
• Exceptional communication skills: able to represent complex quantitative conclusions clearly to senior non-technical stakeholders

WHY THIS ROLE

• Central, foundational role: the firm is building its quantitative research capability and this person shapes how it is done
• Direct access to the CEO and Leadership Team — your conclusions drive real decisions around strategies, talent and infrastructure investment
• Significant research autonomy: identify, evaluate and develop new alpha sources with the ability to shape the firm's longer-term research agenda
• Agile, entrepreneurial environment — strong ideas move quickly from research to decision to implementation
• Proprietary trading infrastructure built for systematic strategies, with experienced PMs and engineers to work alongside
• Long-term opportunity to build and lead a broader Quant Research function as the firm grows
• London-based — close to senior management and the heart of the firm's European operations

ABOUT PLATINUM & PARTNERS

Platinum & Partners is the specialist quant and systematic executive search firm. Retained and exclusive mandates only. All candidate conversations handled in complete confidence