Subject Matter Expert — Financial Index Platforms (R&D Analyst)

The Change; Deutschland; Remote; EUR 17,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Talantir is seeking a contract Subject Matter Expert (SME) to deep‑read and analyse internal technical documentation for a modern financial index technology platform. You will identify novel approaches in index design, from universe construction to rebalancing and collateral generation.

You will collaborate with developers and information scientists to translate complex workflows into clear narratives for stakeholders and funding bodies, while contributing to automation concepts aligned with EU

Qualifications

• Must have index research/engineering experience with hands-on exposure to index construction, backtesting and corporate actions.
• Portfolio of technical documents (whitepapers, methodology docs, R&D reports) demonstrating writing clarity.

Responsibilities

• Engage with internal materials and participate in meetings to understand index design and operations.
• Explain end-to-end indexing workflow including universes, rules, rebalancing, and collateral generation.
• Collaborate with developers, information scientists, and innovation managers for alignment.
• Translate complex systems into accessible, structured narratives for stakeholders and funding bodies.
• Contribute to automation and indexing framework concepts in line with EU/German digital agendas.
• Ensure consistency, accuracy and technical rigor across all outputs.

Skills

Index research

Index construction

Backtesting

Corporate actions

Technical writing

Python

Tools

Apache Solr

Elasticsearch/OpenSearch

Metadata tagging

Job description

Contract | Remote (UK/EU time zone) | Start: ASAP

About the engagement (confidential client)

We’re seeking a contract Subject Matter Expert (SME) to deep‑read and analyse internal technical documentation for a modern financial index technology platform. Your purpose is to identify and explain innovations in how the indexing workflow operates—from universe construction and rule design to rebalancing, corporate‑action handling, and calculation/dissemination.

What you’ll do

• Engage deeply with all relevant internal materials (including architecture notes, methodology documents, API specifications, data dictionaries, runbooks, and governance/process documentation) and participate in meetings—and, if required, client site visits—to fully understand the context and identify novel or distinctive approaches in index design and operations
• Explain how the indexing works end‑to‑end: point‑in‑time universes, selection/ranking and weighting rules, optimization constraints, structured/multi‑asset constructions, backtesting/attribution, corporate‑actions, reconstitution/rebalancing, and collateral generation.
• Collaborate with developers, information scientists, and innovation managers to ensure technological alignment and project viability.
• Map integration and operational considerations relevant to the docs you read (e.g., REST/JWT, WebSocket behaviours, SFTP/FIX file flows, scheduling, monitoring) where applicable.
• Author high‑quality technical documentation, including feasibility studies, funding proposals, white papers, and regulatory assessments
• Translate complex systems and software workflows into accessible, structured narratives for stakeholders, evaluators, and funding bodies.
• Contribute to the conceptualization of automation and indexing frameworks in alignment with EU/German digital transformation agendas.
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and clarity across all written outputs while maintaining technical rigor.

Your profile (must‑have experience)

• index research/engineering, quantitative investing, or market‑data platforms, with hands‑on exposure to index construction, backtesting, and corporate actions.
• Writing clarity: A portfolio of technical documents (whitepapers, methodology docs, R&D reports).

Additional skills we value

• Familiarity with platforms such as Apache Solr, Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, or metadata tagging and classification tools.
• Experience working with scripting languages (e.g., Python) or automation frameworks (e.g., Airflow, UiPath) is highly advantageous.
• Comfort documenting API‑driven systems (REST/WebSocket) and batch workflows (SFTP/FIX), and describing SLAs/operational controls.

Contract details

• Length: project-based
• Hours: Flexible, with availability for core collaboration windows in UK/EU time zones
• Compensation: Project Fee: 1500-2100 Euros
• Location: Remote
• Confidentiality: NDA required prior to access; all outputs remain internal

Job Types: Contract, Commission

Contract length: 2 months

Pay: 1.500,00€ - 2.100,00€ per month

Work Location: Remote