Chicago, IL
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.
Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world's most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world's most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.
SUMMARY
The Senior Quantitative Research Analyst supports a global quantitative strategies team (USA, Australia, Hong Kong, Bangalore, London, and Amsterdam) in generating cutting-edge quantitative research. The individual is responsible for performing all aspects of quantitative research including idea generation, data acquisition, statistical analysis, and documentation of findings, providing direction to other team members as required. In order to produce impactful research, the Senior Quantitative Research Analyst must collaborate closely with stakeholders throughout the research process, including the portfolio management and client portfolio management (CPM) teams. The individual is able to distill research findings and communicate them effectively within the organization and externally to clients and prospects. The Senior Quantitative Research Analyst is able to perform their duties independently the majority of the time, taking occasional guidance as required.
MAJOR DUTIES
- Conduct empirical research in global financial markets
- Conduct applied signal research, portfolio construction research, backtesting and risk assessment of new investment strategies
- Participate in regular meetings with larger research and portfolio management teams
- Identify and develop new investment ideas or opportunities
- Interpret and communicate market dynamics and investment research results to portfolio managers and clients
- Participate in webinars and conferences discussing research outcomes
- Attend client meetings with sales and client service partners and lead technical discussions
- Lead others to successfully complete complex quantitative research projects
- Use sophisticated analytical thought to exercise judgement and identify innovative solutions
- Develop intellectual property and enhance the reputation of Northern Trust as a thought leader in quantitative investing
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
- Strong knowledge of the established asset pricing and factor anomaly literature
- Familiarity with seminal works in asset allocation, risk budgeting and risk management
- Ability to read, interpret and apply academic literature
- Knowledge of investments and the financial markets, usually acquired by an advanced degree and related experience, is required to analyze investment data
- Background in statistics and econometrics cross-sectional and time series regression analysis, covariance matrix decomposition, volatility models, etc.
- Solid programming ability in languages such as Python (MATLAB, R, etc.)
- Knowledge of data platforms such as traditional RDBMS systems (Oracle, SQL) and cloud architectures
- Ability to quickly master new applications and tools in order to evolve the capabilities of the quantitative research team
- Fundamental understanding of machine learning and optimization, and has the ability to apply them appropriately within an investing context
EXPERIENCE
- Master's degree in finance, economics, mathematics or related field required (PhD is a plus)
- 7-10+ years of quantitative research
- Buy-side investment
- managementexperience
- Experience applying Machine Learning models within an investing context (alternative data is a plus)
Working with Us
As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.
Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve! Join a workplace with a greater purpose.
We'd love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world's most admired and sustainable companies! Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater
Reasonable accommodation
Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at
We hope you're excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.
Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.