Vice President/Director, Client Portfolio Manager-Derivatives Trader

About this role

Job Description

SpiderRock Advisors, LLC (“SRA”), a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, vertically integrated in US Wealth Advisory, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is a rapidly growing technology-enabled provider of derivatives solutions to the wealth management and institutional allocator segments of the ~$80 trillion global asset management industry. SRA specializes in the design and implementation of customized derivative solutions and overlay strategies for institutions, wealth managers and their clients.

SRA is seeking an energetic and talented Portfolio Manager & Derivatives Trader responsible for understanding the nuances of multiple asset classes (ex. Equities, Futures, FX, Fixed Income, etc.) and supporting high performance quantitative execution in an internal and client/external facing role. This role is a part of a dynamic and rapidly evolving team responsible for portfolio design, risk management, data analytics, quantitative analysis and research, and scalable automated options trading.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Operate, develop and improve trading and portfolio management infrastructure and proprietary software
• Conduct quantitative research and statistical analysis to improve management and performance of client portfolios
• Support thought leadership research around improving portfolio outcomes through the use of options to reshape portfolio return distributions, facilitate portfolio transition, and optimize after-tax investment results
• Manage and articulate to both institutional and retail clients for their customized mandates
• Write, debug, and test software written in Python
• Make continuous improvements to the strategies and solutions and test environment based on market conditions
• Apply creativity and technical skills to elicit objective answers from historical data
• Adapt economic and financial theory to answer real life complex business problems
• Find and visualize patterns and trends in analyzed data
• Provide in-depth investment research and present findings to SRA’s Investment Committee
• Analyze structured finance products, company financials and market data
• Document workflows, processes, and products.
• Formulate compelling written deliverables.
• Create compelling reports and presentations for internal teams and/or external clients
• Create presentations with charts and graphs to present to supervisors, and clients

Key Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a similar Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics discipline
• At least 5+ years of experience in a similar role. 
• 3 or more years of experience with Python programming, knowledge of R a plus
• Familiarity with order management and trading systems, and ability to troubleshoot day-to-day issues.
• Experience with manipulating large data sets using common databases/query tools (ex. SQL).
• Experience with algorithmic trading features, market microstructure, FIX protocol, and clearing operations etc, in any asset class.
• Experience with conducting Transaction Cost Analysis (“TCA”) oriented research is a plus.
• Product knowledge of equity options is required; knowledge of multiple asset classes is a plus. 
• Knowledge of business intelligence software (AWS QuickSight)
• Strong familiarity with MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Outstanding communication, organizational skills, and professionalism. 

For Chicago, IL Only the salary range for this position is USD$140,000.00 - USD$200,000.00 . Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, and benefits including healthcare, leave benefits, and retirement benefits. BlackRock operates a pay-for-performance compensation philosophy and your total compensation may vary based on role, location, and firm, department and individual performance.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may re