Associate Director/ Director Quant Researcher, Delta One, Equity Derivatives

CITIC CLSA; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

CITIC CLSA is seeking an experienced Quantitative Researcher to develop and enhance systematic trading strategies across Delta One products, including index and ETF arbitrage. You will partner closely with traders and technology teams, generating ideas, back-testing signals, and refining execution logic throughout the research-to-production lifecycle.

The role requires deep understanding of Delta One product lifecycles, strong Python skills, and experience with large-scale datasets.

Qualifications

• Master degree or above in a highly quantitative field.
• 7+ years of experience in quantitative research or strategy development.
• 2+ years researching algorithmic trading or systematic delta-one strategies.
• Strong knowledge of Delta One products and market structure (indices, ETFs, futures, baskets).
• Strong Python skills; C++ desirable.

Responsibilities

• Generate and evaluate quantitative trading ideas across Delta One strategies.
• Analyze historical data to identify trading signals and patterns.
• Prototype and back-test systematic strategies with cost and risk considerations.
• Develop models for pricing, signal generation, portfolio construction, and hedging.
• Design experiments to assess strategy robustness and validation.

Skills

Python

C++

Linux

Education

Master's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

SQL

DolphinDB

Job description

• An advanced degree is preferred
• Experience with C++ is highly desirable
• You will partner closely with traders

Job Description

Position Description

The Equity Derivatives Delta One Quant team is seeking an experienced Quantitative Researcher to develop and enhance systematic trading strategies across index arbitrage, statistical arbitrage and ETF arbitrage.

The role requires a deep understanding of the end-to-end lifecycle of Delta One products and trading flows, including indices, ETFs, futures, and custom baskets. You will partner closely with traders and technology teams throughout the research-to-production lifecycle. Responsibilities include generating trading ideas, analyzing market data, developing signals, prototyping and back-testing strategies, and evaluating execution logic and hedging methodologies.

You will also monitor strategy performance, investigate trading outcomes, refine models, and develop research and analytical tools that improve pricing, execution, risk management, and portfolio construction. The successful candidate will gain exposure to advanced quantitative methods, complex execution workflows, and in-depth Delta One and index/ETF.

Key Areas of Responsibilities

• Partner directly with traders to generate and evaluate quantitative trading ideas across index arbitrage, statistical arbitrage, ETF arbitrage, and market making.
• Conduct in-depth analysis of historical market data to identify trading signals, pricing dislocations, market patterns, and structural opportunities.
• Research, prototype, and back-test systematic strategies, including robust evaluation of transaction costs, market impact, liquidity, capacity, and implementation constraints.
• Develop quantitative models for pricing, fair-value estimation, signal generation, portfolio construction, execution, and hedging.
• Design experiments and validation frameworks to assess strategy robustness, including out-of-sample testing, scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, and performance attribution.
• Translate research findings into clear, actionable recommendations and implement strategies in production.
• Monitor live strategy performance and investigate deviations between expected and realized results.
• Develop analytics and tools for real-time strategy monitoring, risk analysis, execution evaluation, and post-trade performance attribution.
• Collaborate with traders, quantitative developers, technology teams, and other stakeholders to optimize trading and operational processes.
• Maintain clear documentation of research methodologies, model assumptions, validation results, and production changes.
• Provide quantitative support to the trading desk and respond effectively to time-sensitive market or strategy-related issues.

Requirements

• Master degree or above in mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, engineering, quantitative finance, or another highly quantitative discipline. An advanced degree is preferred.
• At least 7 years of experience in quantitative research or quantitative strategy development for cash equities or equity derivatives.
• More than 2 years of experience researching algorithmic trading, arbitrage, market-making, or systematic strategies within Delta One.
• Strong knowledge of Delta One products and market structure, particularly indices, ETFs, futures, custom baskets, and their associated pricing and hedging relationships.
• Demonstrated experience in alpha research, statistical modeling, signal development, back-testing, and strategy performance evaluation.
• Strong understanding of execution costs, liquidity, market impact, portfolio risk, and hedging.
• Strong Python programming skills for quantitative research and data analysis. Experience with C++ is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in working in a Linux environment and experience with SQL, DolphinDB, or comparable time-series databases.
• Familiarity with large-scale financial datasets, high-frequency market data, and research infrastructure.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a rigorous approach to model development and validation.
• Ability to communicate complex quantitative findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced trading environment, prioritize competing demands, and operate with minimal supervision.
• Strong teamwork, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
• Self-motivated, intellectually curious, and committed to continuous learning and improvement.
• Candidates with less experience may be considered at the Associate level.