Quantitative Researcher, Equity Volatility

Carter Wahlberg; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Carter Wahlberg is seeking a research-oriented volatility specialist to sit with traders in a London-based desk. You will build signals, calibrate surfaces, and forecast realised vol, integrating hedging costs and capacity considerations into live risk. Strong Python and derivatives depth are essential.

Collaborate directly with PMs and traders on sizing, hedging and actual positions, and own the entire backtesting stack to drive practical, executable ideas.

Qualifications

• Masters/PhD in a quantitative discipline (Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Engineering, Quantitative Finance or equivalent).
• 2+ years researching equity volatility on bank desks, QIS teams, market making or buy side.
• Deep derivatives knowledge: vol surfaces, calibration and hedging.
• Strong Python skills; KDB/q, C++ or SQL are useful.
• Backtests that price delta hedging costs, where P&L is earned or lost.

Responsibilities

• Build and own volatility signals end to end: surface construction and calibration, realised vol forecasting, skew and term structure, dispersion and correlation.
• Take strategies from research through to live risk, with honest hedging costs, slippage and capacity.
• Work directly with the PM and traders on sizing, hedging and the positions that are actually on.
• Own your backtesting stack rather than waiting for someone else to build it.
• Bring your own ideas; this is not a request queue.

Skills

Python

KDB/q

C++

SQL

Backtesting

Education

Masters/PhD in quantitative discipline

Tools

"Backtesting stack"

Job description

Research seat inside the volatility team of an established hedge fund.

Most vol research jobs sit a floor away from the risk. This one does not. You sit with the traders, your signals go into a live book, and the distance between an idea and a position is measured in days rather than product cycles. The infrastructure is already built, so your time goes on research rather than plumbing.

The team trades volatility across index and single stock: dispersion and correlation, relative value across the surface, variance and the VIX/V2X complex. Systematic and discretionary sit next to each other rather than in separate silos.

What you'll do

• Build and own volatility signals end to end: surface construction and calibration, realised vol forecasting, skew and term structure, dispersion and correlation
• Take strategies from research through to live risk, with honest assumptions on hedging costs, slippage and capacity
• Work directly with the PM and traders on sizing, hedging and the positions that are actually on, not on a research note that gets filed
• Own your backtesting stack rather than waiting for someone else to build it
• Bring your own ideas. This is not a request queue

What you'll need

• Masters and/or PhD in a quantitative discipline (Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Engineering, Quantitative Finance or equivalent)
• 2+ years researching equity volatility, from a bank desk, a QIS team, an options market maker or the buy side
• Genuine derivatives depth: vol surfaces, calibration and hedging are things you have built, not read about
• Strong Python. KDB/q, C++ or SQL all useful
• Backtests that price the cost of delta hedging, because that is where most vol strategy P&L actually goes

Also happy to hear from people who are not actively looking and just want to understand the market. Every conversation is confidential and nothing goes anywhere without your explicit permission.