The Voleon Group

Senior Member of Research Staff

The Voleon Group$130K — $180K *
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-10+ years of experience leading research projects and mentoring peers.
  • Ability to manage multiple complex projects effectively.
  • Proven track record in solving large-scale computing challenges.
  • Expertise in statistical methods and machine learning as an applied researcher.
  • Strong mathematical skills and software development capabilities, preferably in Python and/or R.
  • Excellent communicator, able to simplify complex issues and write clear documentation.
  • Interest in financial applications, without needing prior finance industry experience.
  • Ph.D. coursework required; Ph.D. in a relevant field preferred.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee research efforts affecting complex systems and critical areas.
  • Manage complex projects leading to significant improvements in product performance.
  • Gain deep knowledge of Voleon's methodologies and domains.
  • Analyze new datasets to determine predictive effectiveness.
  • Create, validate, and deploy new predictive models into production.
  • Design experiments to enhance simulations and validate models in real-time.
  • Foster collaboration with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders.
  • Mentor junior researchers by providing guidance and feedback on technical matters.
  • Stay abreast of academic research for innovative applications in finance.
  • Assist in recruiting top talent for the team.

Benefits

  • Work at the forefront of statistical machine learning with a focus on finance.
  • Access to a collaborative work environment with no siloed teams.
  • Healthy work-life balance while tackling challenging problems.
  • Opportunity to influence billions of dollars in daily trading decisions.
  • Support for relocation and work visa eligibility for qualified candidates.
Full Job Description
As a Senior Member of Research Staff, you will work at the forefront of modern statistical machine learning leading key projects focused on enduring challenges of financial market prediction and portfolio optimization. Your research colleagues have collectively published hundreds of academic articles in top-tier venues on machine learning, systems, and theory, and we meet regularly to stay current on the latest academic research and share ideas. Founded by two leading scientists Voleon supports a culture of curiosity and creativity. We do not silo our teams, and you will enjoy a healthy work-life balance while tackling hard problems.

The behavior of financial markets is noisy and violates a number of classical statistical assumptions, and we've spent over a decade pioneering scientific advances in the application of machine learning techniques to this domain. Your team will work with a complex and diverse array of datasets to implement and rapidly iterate on predictive models. Despite the complexity of these problems, market returns provide immediate and unambiguous outcome data for measuring success.

Your team won't just conduct research, they'll apply it on a daily basis across the entire life cycle of applied research problems. Your work will span from overseeing projects focused on basic research to productizing solutions and validating their efficacy in live trading. This role is a means to make a difference: you will help direct billions of dollars in trades daily while making an enduring impact on our field.

*** Relocation and work visa eligibility for qualified candidates***

Responsibilities
  • Demonstrate strategic vision and perspective to oversee work that affects one or more complex systems and mission-critical areas
  • Complete large scope, highly complex projects resulting in noteworthy improvements to product performance and risk management
  • Develop a rich understanding of Voleon's domain and methodologies
  • Prepare and analyze new datasets to assess their predictive efficacy
  • Develop, validate, and implement new models into production
  • Design and conduct experiments to improve simulations and evaluate the success of new models in a live environment
  • Build collaborative relationships cross-functionally and with key contacts outside own area of expertise, with the potential to serve as an external spokesperson for the organization
  • Communicate and collaborate effectively with key stakeholders at each stage, facilitating meaningful discussions around complex issues and driving progress towards tangible outcomes
  • Mentor other researchers and provide technical guidance, coaching, and feedback
  • Keep up to date on the latest academic research to identify novel approaches to explore for application to our domain
  • Contribute to Voleon's efforts to recruit exceptional talent


Requirements
  • 5-10+ years of related experience directing key research projects and mentoring colleagues
  • Capability to run multiple projects simultaneously, exercising judgment in the methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for determining results
  • Ability to make well-reasoned design decisions, identifying and proactively potential issues, tradeoffs, risks, and the appropriate level of abstraction
  • Proven success solving large-scale computing problems
  • Expertise in modern statistical methods and machine learning with a track record as an applied researcher
  • Evidence of strong mathematical abilities
  • Strong skills in software development techniques and production level coding (Python and/or R preferred)
  • Effective at communicating complex technical issues simply and transparently, including writing insightful documentation
  • Ability to influence without requiring formal authority, with a proven track record of influence beyond your team
  • Interest in financial applications is essential, but prior finance industry experience is not a prerequisite
  • Ph.D. level coursework is required, and a Ph.D. degree in a relevant field is preferred


"Friends of Voleon" Candidate Referral Program

If you have a great candidate in mind for this role and would like to have the potential to earn $15,000 if your referred candidate is successfully hired and employed by The Voleon Group, please use this form to submit your referral. For more details regarding eligibility, terms and conditions please make sure to review the Voleon Referral Bonus Program.

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About The Voleon Group

The Voleon Group is a quantitative investment management firm that uses advanced mathematical and statistical techniques to identify and exploit market inefficiencies. The company was founded in 2007 by Michael Kharitonov and Jon McAuliffe and is based in San Francisco, California. Voleon's investment strategies are based on machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the company has a team of over 200 researchers and engineers working to develop and improve its algorithms. Voleon manages several funds, including a long/short equity fund and a futures fund, and has a strong track record of performance. The company is known for its rigorous approach to research and its commitment to transparency and ethical behavior.
Learn more about The Voleon Group
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2007

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