Quantitative Researcher – Data Curation

Trading Interview; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Paid leave

Insurance

Job summary

IMC Trading in Chicago is seeking a highly analytical Quantitative Researcher to curate and analyze extensive trading data, including US equity, options, and alternative sources. You will build data pipelines, validate data quality, and collaborate with traders and engineers to translate research into production-grade models.

The role requires 3+ years in a quantitative or data-focused financial environment, strong Python and SQL skills, and familiarity with tick-level datasets and ML

Qualifications

• 3+ years in quantitative research or data-focused role within financial markets.
• Experience with diverse trading and financial data.
• Knowledge of options markets and options data.
• Experience with non-market data sources is a plus.
• Strong understanding of data vendor landscape.
• Proficient in Python.
• Experience with SQL and large datasets.
• Familiarity with real-time tick-level data processing.
• Knowledge of statistics and machine learning techniques.
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Curate, cleanse, and validate large volumes of market data, focusing on US equity and equity options.
• Integrate, preprocess, and evaluate fundamental & alternative data sources.
• Collaborate with data acquisition & global data team to assess data quality.
• Build and maintain robust data pipelines for research and live trading environments.
• Perform data analysis and statistical modeling to identify patterns and inefficiencies in the market.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of datasets used in quantitative modeling.
• Document research processes, data provenance, and results with high standards of clarity and reproducibility.
• Collaborate with software engineers and traders to translate research into production-grade models and tools.
• Conduct quantitative research and analysis to support and enhance trading strategies.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data analysis

Machine learning

Data pipelines

Tick-level data

Options data

Data governance

Communication

Tools

Pandas

NumPy

Job description

We are seeking a highly analytical and detail-oriented Quantitative Researcher to join our dynamic research team. The ideal candidate will have deep experience curating and analyzing a broad range of trading-related data sources—including traditional market data, fundamental datasets, and other vendor-supplied information. This role will contribute to the development of innovative trading strategies, support data-driven decision-making, and collaborate closely with trading, technology, and data acquisition teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Curate, cleanse, and validate large volumes of market data, focusing on US equity and equity options
• Integrate, preprocess, and evaluate fundamental & alternative data sources
• Work closely with data acquisition & global data team to assess data quality
• Build and maintain robust data pipelines for research and live trading environments
• Perform data analysis ad statistical modeling to identify patterns and inefficiencies in the market
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of datasets used in quantitative modeling.
• Document research processes, data provenance, and results with high standards of clarity and reproducibility
• Collaborate with software engineers and traders to translate research into production-grade models and tools
• Conduct quantitative research and analysis to support and enhance trading strategies

Required Skills & Experience:

• 3+ years of experience in a quantitative research or data-focused role in financial markets, ideally in a systematic trading environment
• Proven experience working with a diverse range of trading and financial data
• Must have previous knowledge of options markets and experience working with options data
• Hands-on experience integrating and analyzing non-market data sources is a plus
• Strong understanding of data vendor landscape
• Advanced proficiency in Python
• Experience with databases (SQL) and handling large datasets efficiently
• Familiarity with real-time data systems and tick-level data processing
• Familiarity with statistical and machine learning techniques
• Exceptional attention to detail and a systematic approach to problem-solving
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

#LI-DNP

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.

Salary Range

$250,000 — $300,000 USD

About Us

IMC is a global trading firm powered by a cutting-edge research environment and a world-class technology backbone. Since 1989, we’ve been a stabilizing force in financial markets, providing essential liquidity upon which market participants depend. Across our offices in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, and India, our talented quant researchers, engineers, traders, and business operations professionals are united by our uniquely collaborative, high-performance culture, and our commitment to giving back. From entering dynamic new markets to embracing disruptive technologies, and from developing an innovative research environment to diversifying our trading strategies, we dare to continuously innovate and collaborate to succeed.

For three decades IMC has provided liquidity to the financial markets globally. Specialised in algorithmic trading and advanced technology, we set the pace for the evolution of market making. Cutting-edge…