Platinum & Partners — Quant & Systematic Recruitment
Live compensation benchmarks for Quant Researchers, Systematic PMs, Quant Developers and HFT Engineers
Based on live placement data and active mandates from Platinum & Partners — the specialist quant and systematic executive search firm. Compiled by Tabby Kaan, Founder & Managing Partner. Updated April 2026.
Hedge Funds & Systematic Asset Managers — London
| Level | Base Salary | Bonus / P&L Share | Total Comp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior (0–2 yrs, PhD entry) | £80k – £130k | £40k – £90k | £120k – £220k | Year-1 guarantee common for PhD hires |
| Mid (2–4 yrs) | £130k – £220k | £80k – £200k | £210k – £420k | P&L attribution begins; strategy-linked bonus |
| Senior (4–8 yrs) | £220k – £400k | £200k – £600k+ | £420k – £1M+ | Strategy ownership; carry access at tier-1 funds |
| Lead / Principal (8+ yrs) | £350k – £700k | £500k – £2M+ | £850k – £3M+ | Co-investment rights; significant carry |
Multi-Strategy Hedge Funds & Pod Structure Platforms — London
| Level | Base Salary | Bonus / P&L Share | Total Comp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerging PM (1–2 yr live track record) | £150k – £250k | 10–15% net P&L | £300k – £800k | Year-1 guarantee; allocation typically $25M–$100M |
| Established PM (2–5 yr track record) | £200k – £350k | 15–20% net P&L | £600k – £2.5M+ | Allocation $100M–$500M+; co-investment rights |
| Senior PM (5–10 yr track record) | £300k – £600k | 20–25% net P&L | £1M – £5M+ | Carry access; equity participation at some platforms |
| Head of Systematic / CIO (10+ yrs) | £500k – £1.2M+ | Platform economics | £2M – £10M+ | Co-founding arrangements; firm-level carry |
Hedge Funds, Prop Desks & Systematic Asset Managers — London
| Level | Base Salary | Bonus / P&L Share | Total Comp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Quant Dev (0–2 yrs) | £65k – £110k | £25k – £70k | £90k – £180k | C++ premium 15–20% above Python roles |
| Mid Quant Dev (2–5 yrs) | £110k – £200k | £60k – £160k | £170k – £360k | KDB+/q adds further premium at data-heavy firms |
| Senior Quant Dev (5–9 yrs) | £180k – £320k | £120k – £380k+ | £300k – £700k+ | Co-investment access; carry at leading funds |
| Lead / Principal Dev (9+ yrs) | £280k – £500k+ | £220k – £1M+ | £500k – £1.5M+ | Equity participation; significant autonomy |
HFT Prop Firms & Electronic Market Makers — London
| Level | Base Salary | Bonus / P&L Share | Total Comp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate / Junior (0–2 yrs) | £70k – £120k | 30–60% base + profit share | £100k – £200k | Year-1 guarantee; profit share structure |
| Mid-Level (2–5 yrs) | £120k – £220k | Profit share / equity | £200k – £500k+ | FPGA expertise adds 20–30% premium |
| Senior (5–9 yrs) | £200k – £350k | Profit share / partnership | £400k – £1M+ | Partnership tracks at leading firms |
| Lead / Principal (9+ yrs) | £300k – £600k+ | Firm-level economics | £700k – £3M+ | Equity / co-founder arrangements at top firms |
All figures represent London market rates in GBP. New York typically 15–25% higher. Figures based on Platinum & Partners placement data and active mandates, 2025–2026. Ranges reflect variation by fund type, strategy, AUM and candidate quality. Contact Tabby Kaan for role-specific benchmarks.
Index: London = 100%. Gross cash compensation for equivalent roles and seniority.
Baseline — deepest quant talent pool in Europe. Canary Wharf, Mayfair, EC2.
Greenwich & Midtown. Top multi-strat platforms pay highest global rates for proven PMs.
HFT and prop trading hub. Strong C++ / FPGA premium at leading prop firms.
Closing gap rapidly. Multi-strategy platforms expanding APAC pods aggressively.
European HFT hub. Strong FPGA and low-latency engineering market.
Regional quant hub. Quant researcher demand rebounding strongly in 2026.
CTA and systematic macro managers. Strong macro PM and researcher demand.
Tax-free; growing systematic presence. Family office and systematic macro growth.
Allocations at multi-strategy platforms are growing faster than the pool of PMs with strong 2.0+ Sharpe track records. Year-one guarantees are increasing.
Researchers with demonstrable live alpha from ML/RL models are commanding a 30–50% premium above traditional stat arb researchers at comparable seniority.
Fewer than 200 FPGA engineers in Europe have the HFT-specific experience the top firms require. This scarcity is driving total packages above £1M for senior talent.
Several top multi-strategy platforms have expanded Singapore pods significantly in 2025–2026. Pay is now within 10% of London for equivalent roles, with tax advantages.
As funds migrate from legacy KDB+/q stacks to modern Python/Rust/Arrow pipelines, the KDB premium is eroding. Rust expertise is commanding a new premium at leading firms.
More experienced systematic PMs are receiving seed capital from multi-strategy platforms in 2026 than any prior year. Off-market deals dominate — public job postings are rare.
This guide is compiled by Tabby Kaan, Founder & Managing Partner of Platinum & Partners, from live placement data, active search mandates and direct conversations with CIOs, Heads of Research and Heads of Technology across the global systematic investment community. Data reflects completed placements and live offer data from Q1–Q2 2026.
Platinum & Partners operates exclusively in quant and systematic finance — every mandate is a quant or systematic role. This focus means our compensation data is specific to systematic and quantitative investment strategies, not generalised from broader financial services surveys.
For a personalised compensation benchmark — whether you are a hiring manager building a comp structure or a quant professional assessing your market value — contact Tabby Kaan directly: tabby@platinumandpartners.com or call +44 (0)203 941 9113.
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