Chicago Trading Company (CTC) is a premier proprietary trading firm specializing in options market making. Our collaborative culture fuels innovation in quantitative research, systematic trading strategies, and cutting-edge trading technology. For over three decades CTC has provided critical liquidity across derivatives exchanges worldwide - making them fairer, more transparent, and more efficient.
We strive to be the most innovative firm in the industry today, tomorrow, and long into the future while upholding ethical excellence. We believe that CTC makes a positive impact on the markets, the lives of our employees, and all the communities to which we belong. Started in 1995 by a team of forward-thinking Traders, we are proud to call ourselves an industry leader that keeps making markets and each other better.
We are seeking a Senior Quantitative Trader to join a growing delta-one systematic trading team. This role is focused on hands-on alpha research, strategy development, and production trading across liquid futures and related delta-one products. The ideal candidate combines strong market intuition with rigorous quantitative research skills and has a demonstrated ability to develop, evaluate, and deploy systematic trading strategies.
This is an opportunity to contribute directly to a high-impact trading business, working across multiple products, time horizons, and research problems. You will partner closely with quantitative researchers, traders, and engineers to identify tradable opportunities, improve strategy performance, and expand the team’s systematic trading capabilities.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead the full research lifecycle — from alpha ideation, data analysis, and backtesting through strategy iteration, production deployment, and ongoing monitoring — primarily across liquid delta-one products like futures and related markets
- Analyze strategy performance, execution quality, and production behavior to identify improvements, and refine models as market conditions evolve
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers to improve research tools, simulation quality, and trading infrastructure, including cross-product signals that leverage relationships across related markets and asset classes
- Mentor less experienced team members and help raise the overall quality of research and trading decision-making across the team
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- 5+ years of experience in quantitative or systematic trading, quantitative research, market making, or a closely related environment, with a proven track record of developing or materially improving trading strategies, signals, models, or analytics
- Strong statistical intuition and programming skills (Python or similar), with hands-on experience working with large market datasets, designing simulations and backtests, and reasoning carefully about strategy robustness, transaction costs, and execution realities
- Deep understanding of market structure, risk, and the practical realities of production trading, combined with the ability to generate independent ideas and collaborate effectively with researchers, traders, and engineers
- Clear communicator with a high-ownership attitude, intellectual curiosity, and a bias toward thorough, repeatable research
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with delta-one products (futures, ETFs, equities, rates, commodities) and systematic strategies across various frequencies, with familiarity in areas like fixed income, term structure, relative value, options, or market making
- Contributions to research pipelines, backtesting frameworks, alpha attribution, or production monitoring tools; proficiency in C++ or experience with latency-sensitive systems
- Advanced degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Operations Research, or a related field
Compensation
The salary range for this role is listed below. This role is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. The discretionary bonus will be dependent upon the individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, and firm performance.
Most teams at CTC, with the exception of Trading, follow a hybrid workplace model, subject to change based on business need.
Our Benefits
We strongly believe in the well-being of our employees and their families so we offer outstanding benefits to support you both professionally and personally. These benefits include generous time off, insurance coverage, paid parental leave, free breakfast and lunch (plus healthy snacks, of course), wellness reimbursement, and a variety of other benefits focused on providing the best employee experience.
(Disclaimer: interns and contractors are not eligible for benefits at CTC)
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
At CTC, we aim to cultivate a workplace that celebrates diversity and each person feels included, engaged and empowered. Where each of us feels we belong. We are committed to having a diverse workforce and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. CTC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.
If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or to apply for a position, please contact us at [email protected]. Note that emails sent to this email account for non-disability related issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Information submitted by job applicants may be subject to review and analysis by automated systems, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), as part of the recruitment process. Such systems are utilized to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our hiring procedures. Applicants are advised that any information provided may be evaluated by AI tools to ensure an equitable and thorough assessment.
Chicago Trading Company