Portfolio Researcher (iSAM Tensor)

iSAM; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

iSAM is seeking a portfolio researcher to join our London team. You will work hands-on on portfolio construction, risk management and analytics for the Tensor platform from data to live trading, collaborating with developers and researchers across the firm.

The role offers a unique opportunity to shape a new systematic trading business at its inception, requiring a PhD and strong Python, statistics and portfolio knowledge, with responsibility for production monitoring and on-call support.

Qualifications

• PhD in a quantitative discipline is required.
• Minimum 3 years in a quant research team within a systematic trading business.
• Strong Python programming and analytical tool-building skills.
• Solid understanding of statistics, probability, portfolio construction and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on responsibility for portfolio and risk management.
• Build analytics and monitoring infrastructure with the development team.
• Collaborate with researchers to onboard new strategies.
• Provide production support on a certified rota when required.

Skills

Python

Statistics

Portfolio construction

Risk management

Research

Communication skills

Education

PhD in quantitative discipline

Tools

NumPy/Pandas

SQL

Git

Job description

iSAM Tensor is a brand-new business unit (founded in August 2026) with the remit to build a new systematic, multi-strategy trading platform that will start trading in December 2026. The Tensor team is responsible for every aspect of the platform, from data to strategy development to portfolio construction to execution to production monitoring, ensuring the system is stable, scalable and robust. They take an idea from inception to production. As we grow the platform and onboard additional strategies and asset classes, we are looking for a portfolio researcher to join our London team. This is a key hire for the team, giving the successful candidate the opportunity to join a new systematic trading business at the beginning. This is a hands-on position in an intentionally flat structure within a collaborative team where you will be directly responsible for iSAM Tensor’s portfolio construction. You will work with developers and researchers across the firm to drive our success.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on day-to-day responsibility of iSAM Tensor’s portfolio and risk management.
• Work closely with the development team to build a suite of portfolio analytics and monitoring infrastructure to ensure the smooth running of the platform.
• Work closely with researchers to enable the smooth onboarding of new strategies.
• Pro-actively find ways to improve all aspects of the platform.
• Support the platform in production on a support rota once certified.

Qualifications

• PhD in a quantitative discipline such as mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, computer science, economics or finance.
• A minimum of 3 years working within a quant research team of a systematic trading business.
• Strong hands-on python programming skills with the ability to conduct independent research and build robust analytical tools.
• Strong understanding of statistics, probability, portfolio construction and risk management.
• Ability to connect empirical research with practical investment implementation, including transaction costs, capacity, risk and live performance considerations.

Qualifications (preferred)

• Experience with portfolio optimisation techniques.

Personal Attributes

• You are a smart, intellectually curious, self-driven professional with a high attention to detail and a willingness to learn.
• You have strong communication skills and can clearly explain complex research.
• You enjoy working in a collaborative environment directly with colleagues from multiple backgrounds and areas of expertise.
• You are comfortable working at the coal face of a fast-paced trading environment.
• You take pride in and ownership of your work, care about quality and continuously strive for improvement, both individually and for the wider team.
• You are excited about how (and pro-actively research new ways that) AI could transform the operation of a systematic trading business.