Senior Quantitative Credit Strategist

Vanguard; Malvern (Chester County); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard seeks a Senior Corporate Credit Quantitative Strategist in Malvern to shape the research agenda within Fixed Income Quantitative Research. You will design and scale quantitative models across global investment-grade and high-yield bonds, guiding alpha generation and risk management.

You will translate research into live portfolio insights, partnering with PMs and credit analysts while mentoring junior quants. This hybrid role emphasizes governance and production-ready analytics.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a quantitative discipline (Master’s or PhD).
• 15+ years of experience in quantitative research or strategy focused on corporate credit.
• Experience supporting systematic or quantitatively-enabled credit strategies.
• Deep understanding of corporate debt markets, including spread dynamics and default cycles.

Responsibilities

• Develop quantitative models for credit investing to inform alpha generation and position sizing across global IG and HY portfolios.
• Create and maintain quantitative signals with link to excess return across market regimes.
• Partner with portfolio managers and analysts to drive live portfolio decisions using quantitative insights.
• Own backtesting, performance attribution, and factor analysis across model development lifecycle.

Skills

Python

Quantitative research

SQL

R

Education

Master’s or PhD in Mathematics/Statistics/Physics/Engineering/Quantitative Finance

Tools

TRACE

BQUANT

Job description

The Opportunity

This is a senior role within the Fixed Income Quantitative Research Group. The Senior Corporate Credit Quantitative Strategist will help set the research agenda in partnership with the Global Head of Quantitative Research and other senior investors. The successful candidate will partner with portfolio managers, credit analysts, and risk teams to design, implement, and scale quantitative models supporting corporate bond investment strategies. The role focuses on credit alpha generation, relative value, and portfolio construction across global investment‑grade and high‑yield markets.

A key success factor is the ability to translate quantitative research into investment ideas used in live portfolios, enhancing security selection, sizing, and risk management.

What You’ll Do

• Develop quantitative models for credit investing that directly inform alpha generation, issuer/sector selection, relativevalue decisions, and position sizing across global IG and HY portfolios.
• Create and maintain quantitative signals like valuation, spread, quality, momentum, liquidity, downside risk with a demonstrated link to excess return across market regimes.
• Partner closely with corporate credit portfolio managers and analysts to ensure quantitative insights drive live portfolio decisions, not standalone research.
• Partner with quantitative research analysts on all stages of the model development life cycle. Take ownership of backtesting, performance attribution, and factor analysis, clearly articulating what drove returns, what detracted, and how strategies performed in stress environments.
• Analyze issuer‑, sector‑, and capital‑structure‑level relationships to identify actionable relative‑value opportunities in corporate bonds.
• Translate research into scalable, production‑ready analytics embedded in portfolio construction and risk workflows.
• Communicate quantitative insights succinctly to PMs and senior investment leadership, focusing on decision‑relevant outcomes.
• Mentor junior quants and uphold research standards, model governance, and documentation.

What It Takes

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in a quantitative discipline (Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Engineering, Quantitative Finance).
• 15+ years of experience in quantitative research or strategy with a primary focus on corporate credit.
• Experience supporting systematic or quantitatively‑enabled credit strategies.
• Deep understanding of corporate debt markets, including spread dynamics, capital structure, ratings migration, and default cycles.
• Expertise with synthetic credit, capital structure RV, and leveraged loans. Proven ability to generate investment ideas independently and partner with PMs is a strong indicator of success in this role.
• Strong programming skills in Python (required); SQL and/or R preferred.
• Experience working with large fixed-income datasets (TRACE, BQUANT, issuer fundamentals, pricing, liquidity metrics).
• Proven ability to deliver actionable research used by PMs.

Preferred / Differentiating Skills

• Exposure to credit risk models, issuer‑level forecasting, and stress testing.
• Prior experience embedding models into portfolio construction or risk platforms.
• Prior experience with structured credit and global credit markets
• CFA or progress toward CFA.

Special Factors

Sponsorship

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don’t just have a mission—we’re on a mission.

To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients’ lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.