Quantitative Researcher - Portfolio Management

Man AHL is one of the world’s longest running diversified systematic investment managers, trading in over 800 markets globally and offering a range of absolute return and long-only quantitative strategies that invest across traditional and alternative markets. With over three decades of quantitative investment experience, Man AHL is committed to constant innovation and evolution of research. It applies advanced technology and scientific rigour to every stage of the investment process, from data curation and cleaning through to signal generation, risk management and execution. It views risk management and trading and execution as central to alpha generation, and its strategies are designed to understand risk, take appropriate exposures and, where necessary, dynamically adjust exposure.

Man AHL brings together scientists, academics, technologists and finance practitioners who are driven by curiosity, intellectual honesty and a passion for solving the complex problems presented by financial markets. It works closely with the Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance (OMI), Man Group’s unique collaboration with the University of Oxford, and leverages insights from its field-leading academic research into machine learning and data analytics.

The Team AHL Portfolio Management is the team responsible for the portfolio construction and investment management of the firm’s flagship funds as well as the AIS (AHL Investment Solutions) business. The team has been running for several years. It manages a diverse set of funds both in terms of trading styles and asset classes. It is also responsible for portfolio construction as well as allocation research inside AHL. The Portfolio Management area is split into three sub teams: Analytics, Engineering and Monetisation.

• The Portfolio Analytics team’s purpose is to deliver quantifiable, transparent, and actionable insights into our research process.
• The Portfolio Engineering team’s purpose is to innovate in how we deliver alpha to clients.
• The Portfolio Monetisation team’s purpose is to maximise the dollar output of our research in our funds.

As part of its mandate, the Portfolio Monetisation team is responsible for various research streams including alpha combination, alpha and fund allocations, portfolio construction and capacity evaluation. Additionally, the team is responsible for day-to-day portfolio management across AHL.

The ideal candidate will be a Quantitative Researcher or a Portfolio Manager with a strong background in portfolio construction with previous experience in risk-managing a book. The candidate will be involved in several areas:

• Improvement of existing portfolios
• Cutting edge research in alpha combination and allocations
• Development of portfolio construction methods
• Day to day portfolio and risk management
• Contributing to AHL’s overall research effort by interacting with and collaborating with other research teams

Technology and Business Skills:

• Exceptional analytical skills; recognised by your peers as an expert in your domain
• A deep understanding of statistics/machine learning/portfolio construction techniques
• 3+ years of experience in a similar position
• Expertise in a high-level programming language such as Python, or R.
• Proficiency with NumPy/SciPy/Pandas or similar
• Ease of handling large datasets
• Understanding risk management techniques and portfolio risk modelling
• Portfolio management experience is a plus

Personal Attributes:

• Strong academic record and a degree with high mathematical, statistical and computing content e.g. Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics or Physics from a leading university
• Hands-on attitude; willing to get involved with technology and projects across the firm
• Intellectually robust with a keenly analytic approach to problem solving
• Self-organised with the ability to effectively manage time across multiple projects and with competing business demands and priorities
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to establish and maintain a close working relationship with quantitative researchers, technologists, traders and senior business people alike
• Confident communicator; able to argue a point concisely and deal positively with conflicting views.

Working Here:

AHL fosters a performance driven, meritocratic culture with a small company, no-attitude feel. It is flat structured, open, transparent, and collaborative, offering ample opportunity to grow and have enormous impact on what we do. We are actively engaged with the broader research and academic community, as well as renowned industry contributors. We’re fortunate enough to have a fantastic open-plan office overlooking the River Thames, and continually strive to make our environment a great place in which to work.

We offer competitive compensation, a generous holiday allowance, various health and other flexible benefits. We are also committed to continuous learning and development via coaching, mentoring, regular conference attendance and sponsoring academic and professional qualifications.