Quant Performance Engineer

ittihad medical centre; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Paid leave

Insurance

Job summary

IMC Trading in Chicago is seeking highly driven graduates to apply quantitative techniques and practical experimentation to the technology used by exchanges and our own systems in ultra-low-latency trading.

You will develop new strategies, design ETL pipelines in Python, and work closely with Traders, Hardware and Software Engineers to push performance and outpace rivals.

Qualifications

• Student graduating between Sep 2026 and Jul 2027 pursuing CS/Engineering or related tech field.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language.
• Exceptional quantitative ability and analytical skills.
• Highly motivated to compete in one of the world's most competitive markets.
• Experience with statistical modeling, machine learning, or network technology is a plus.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to work cross-functionally across trading and engineering teams.
• Interest in the Financial Markets; prior knowledge is NOT required.
• Must be available for full-time employment starting in February or August 2027.

Responsibilities

• Perform quantitative research with large datasets to understand exchange technology.
• Design novel strategies to optimize IMC's liquidity taking and quoting strategies for exchange microstructure.
• Develop ETL pipelines and algorithms in Python to optimize IMC's ultra-low-latency trading strategies
• Explore novel uses of frontier LLMs to accelerate data and research tasks
• Reverse-engineer and stress-test network and systems programming technologies in order to understand them better than the manufacturers.
• Collaborate closely with Traders and with the Hardware and Software Engineers who will implement your ideas.

Skills

Programming language

Quantitative ability

Machine learning

Communication

Education

CS/Engineering student

Tools

Python

Job description

Technology is at the heart of modern electronic trading. IMC is seeking highly driven graduates to apply quantitative techniques and practical experimentation to the technology used by exchanges, connectivity providers, and our own systems. You will develop new strategies to outpace other market participants in the highly competitive world of ultra-low-latency trading.

Your Core Responsibilities:

• Perform quantitative research with large datasets to understand exchange technology.
• Design novel strategies to optimize IMC's liquidity taking and quoting strategies for exchange microstructure.
• Develop ETL pipelines and algorithms in Python to optimize IMC's ultra-low-latency trading strategies
• Explore novel uses of frontier LLMs to accelerate data and research tasks
• Reverse-engineer and stress-test network and systems programming technologies in order to understand them better than the manufacturers.
• Collaborate closely with Traders and with the Hardware and Software Engineers who will implement your ideas.

Your Skills and Experience:

• Current university student graduating between September 2026 - July 2027 that is pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technology field.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language is required.
• Exceptional quantitative ability and analytical skills.
• Highly motivated to compete - and win in one of the world's most competitive markets.
• Experience with statistical modeling, machine learning, or network technology is a plus.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a desire to work cross-functionally across trading and engineering teams.
• Interest in the Financial Markets; previous knowledge is NOT required
• Must be available for full-time employment starting in February or August 2027

You may submit one application per role each year. We strongly encourage you to focus on applying to a single role that best matches your skills and interests. Though you may apply to multiple roles, please note that each application will be evaluated based on the specific criteria established for that particular role. If you have already applied for this position during the current recruitment season and were not selected, you may reapply when the next recruitment season begins in summer 2027.

The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visit Benefits - US | IMC Trading for more comprehensive information.

Base Salary: $200,000

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About Us

IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.