Barclay Simpson people take the quant trader job market seriously, and that’s why quant hiring managers take us seriously. With a solid grasp of this complex area, our recruiters develop in-depth relationships with employers to match them with the right candidates.
We offer quant trader, short for quantitative trader, job opportunities in London and the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We cover the banking, insurance, asset management and professional service sectors.
Candidates for quant trader jobs should love numbers, of course. Mathematical and statistical modelling skills are a given, as are technical skills such as Python and C++. But more broadly, quant trader job candidates should demonstrate an intense number-based curiosity.
In the hothouse work environment of quant trading, soft skills matter. The ability to withstand long hours of pressurised work is essential, as are agile problem-solving and decision-making strengths.
Quant traders have some of the liveliest minds in business, and we’re here to meet your expectations. Get in touch to discuss your quantitative trader job options.
Quant trader jobs involve long hours – 60 hours on average. What’s more, those hours are all pressurised ones. Quant traders need the physical and mental stamina to sustain what is a relentless and intensive working pattern.
Most quant trader jobs are generally more lucrative than actuarial work. But in return for that higher earning potential, quant traders are expected to withstand far more pressure. By contrast, most actuaries enjoy more stability and work-life balance.
Thanks mainly to fully systematic trading, many quant traders are able to work from home. However, some employers still favour in-office or hybrid work policies. And the strong elements of communication and collaboration in quant trader jobs do call for some in-office presence at least.
Python remains a popular language across all quant professions, including quant trader jobs, mainly due to its extensive libraries and simple syntax. Python is often used by quant traders for building prototype modelling and strategy testing. C++ is also highly favoured due to its speed.
Many quant traders continue to use C and C++ in their daily work. C++ is far more popular than the basic C because it offers speed, rich features and performance benefits. Speed is particularly needed in high-frequency trading environments. C++ delivers higher performance levels than Python.