Independent Quantitative Analyst

Smartkarma; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Smartkarma is seeking experienced systematic traders and quant researchers to deliver actionable investment ideas and robust, edge-providing signals to institutional clients. You will craft and backtest strategies, construct data-driven models, and maintain proprietary datasets and pipelines that differentiate our research offering.

Applicants should have a track record in research or trading for institutional audiences and be capable of communicating complex ideas clearly in published insights

Qualifications

• Extensive research, trading or investment experience for institutional clients (8 yrs+)
• Demonstrated quantitative track record and evidence of proprietary work (datasets, models, tooling, strategy research)
• Ability to write differentiated insights for professional investors (structured, concise, defensible)

Responsibilities

• Provide actionable trade and investment ideas based on statistically validated signals and market intuition.
• Develop factor, risk premia and alpha research.
• Create event-driven frameworks and playbooks for earnings, actions, and macro signals.
• Deliver cross-asset insights and robust analysis for clients, with high-touch service when needed.

Skills

Systematic trading

Quant research

Backtesting

Data cleaning

Statistical learning

Written communication

Cross-asset analysis

Tools

Python

SQL

Job description

Company Description

Smartkarma connects independent investment research analysts to institutional asset managers, such as sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, pension funds, boutiques and family offices. Smartkarma’s cloud-based platform leverages the latest in technology to provide a network for independent research analysts to curate and monetize research in an innovative and new way.

• Independent analysts covering more than 4,000 companies now contribute to Smartkarma’s cloud-based platform.
• Insights are published daily with active minute-by-minute discussions, where themes and ideas are debated, discussed and questioned among a community of experts, in real time.
• Over 200 leading institutional asset managers have subscribed, including sovereign wealth funds, global asset managers, hedge funds, boutiques and family offices, worldwide.
• Our top 10 clients alone have over $14 trillion under management. Our investors include Sequoia Capital, Singapore Exchange (SGX), Wavemaker Partners, Jungle Ventures and Spring Seed.

Company Description

Smartkarma connects independent investment research analysts to institutional asset managers, such as sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, pension funds, boutiques and family offices. Smartkarma’s cloud-based platform leverages the latest in technology to provide a network for independent research analysts to curate and monetize research in an innovative and new way.

• Independent analysts covering more than 4,000 companies now contribute to Smartkarma’s cloud-based platform.
• Insights are published daily with active minute-by-minute discussions, where themes and ideas are debated, discussed and questioned among a community of experts, in real time.
• Over 200 leading institutional asset managers have subscribed, including sovereign wealth funds, global asset managers, hedge funds, boutiques and family offices, worldwide.
• Our top 10 clients alone have over $14 trillion under management. Our investors include Sequoia Capital, Singapore Exchange (SGX), Wavemaker Partners, Jungle Ventures and Spring Seed.

Job Description

In general, looking for former/current systematic traders and quant researchers / analysts:

• Experts in systematic strategies across equities, equity derivatives and multi-asset (index and single-name listed and OTC options, futures, etc);
• Strong research hygiene: signal research, feature engineering, robust backtesting across horizons, realistic frictions and clear validation;
• Ability to combine market intuition with statistical learning to create and maintain differentiated proprietary datasets and models (unique data collection, cleaning, normalisation, mapping, signal construction and production pipelines) that are hard to replicate and deliver repeatable edge;
• Strong writing and communication skills: able to articulate and defend research views clearly in published insights and in discussions with institutional clients;

Example of deliverables

• Actionable trade and investment ideas based on statistically validated signals and market intuition;
• Factor, risk premia and alpha research;
• Event-driven and catalyst frameworks (earnings, guidance, corporate actions, index changes, macro prints) with empirical edge and playbooks;
• Cross-asset linkages and regime work (risk-on/off, inflation, rates sensitivity, liquidity, positioning and flows);

You will also be expected to offer a high-touch service for select institutional clients

Qualifications

• Extensive research, trading or investment experience for institutional clients (8 yrs+);
• Demonstrated quantitative track record and evidence of proprietary work (datasets, models, tooling, strategy research);
• Ability to write differentiated insights for professional investors (structured, concise, defensible).

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.