Member of Technical Staff - Quantitative Researcher

z Star Research is a start-up systematic quantitative investment firm. We take a research-driven, scientific approach to markets, and we build the technology behind that approach in-house. We are a small team of researchers and engineers, which means the systems you build will be used daily by the people sitting next to you — and your impact on the firm will be direct and measurable.

As a Member of Technical Staff, you will conduct research that drives our investment process. The work spans the full research lifecycle: forming and testing hypotheses on large datasets, building and validating predictive models, contributing to portfolio construction, and refining strategies once they are live.

Research and engineering are not separate functions here. Researchers implement their own work in production-quality code and run what they build. Strong candidates combine statistical rigor with practical engineering ability, communicate clearly, and pay close attention to detail.

• Analyze large datasets to form and test hypotheses about market behavior
• Build and validate statistical and machine learning models
• Contribute to portfolio construction and optimization
• Implement your research in production-quality code and support it in live trading
• Monitor production results and refine models and strategies over time

• 3–7 years of experience in quantitative research or another research-intensive quantitative setting
• A strong academic background in mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, or a related quantitative field
• Rigorous research methodology — a strong grasp of overfitting, data leakage, and proper validation when working with noisy real-world data
• Strong Python skills for research, with the ability to write clean, production-quality code
• Strong communication skills, intellectual curiosity, and attention to detail

• Experience in systematic trading, including idea generation through deployment and production analysis
• Experience with portfolio construction, optimization, or transaction cost modeling
• Experience building custom or proprietary datasets
• A research-oriented advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a quantitative field

We work in person, six days a week, from our office in New York. We are an early-stage firm: the pace is fast, standards are high, and everyone is close to the work. This environment suits people who want significant ownership and responsibility early, and who take energy from building alongside a small team that cares about getting things right.

The base salary range for this position is $150,000 to $250,000. Total compensation also includes profit sharing and a comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation is determined based on a candidate's experience and qualifications.

z Star Research is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic.