PhD Position: Quantitative Finance / Asset Management - #2737887

Are you ready to shape the future of quantitative investing? Join our PhD programme and explore how modern empirical methods, new datasets and financial theory can contribute to the next generation of investment research – in collaboration with the the Centre of Financial Research at University of Cologne and Prof. Dr. Tom Zimmermann!

We are looking for a highly motivated and talented PhD candidate to join our Research team at Quoniam in a 50% position based in Frankfurt. This is a unique opportunity to conduct academically rigorous and practically relevant research in quantitative finance and systematic active asset management while pursuing a PhD at the University of Cologne.

Our team develops and maintains return and risk forecasting models across equity, fixed income and multi-asset classes. We collaborate across teams to create innovative investment solutions. With backgrounds ranging from economists and finance specialists to statisticians and physicists, we share a passion for curiosity-driven research.

Inspiring. Your responsibilities.

In this role, you will investigate financial returns, risks and investment strategies using modern empirical and quantitative methods. Potential research areas include unstructured information and alternative data in asset management, alpha decay and dynamic portfolio implementation under liquidity and turnover constraints, as well as machine learning approaches that jointly model alpha, risk and portfolio decisions within and across asset classes.

In addition to Quoniam’s infrastructure, data and resources, you will be academically embedded at the University of Cologne, the Centre for Financial Research, and work closely with Prof. Dr. Tom Zimmermann. You will benefit from academic supervision, an active research environment and the close exchange between academic research and investment practice.

Convincing. Your profile today.

• Master’s degree in finance or economics, or in a STEM discipline with a strong focus on finance or economics, or a related field
• Strong foundation in finance, econometrics, statistics and quantitative methods
• Proficiency in Python or R
• Passion for empirical finance, asset management and academic research
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and teamwork skills

Diverse. Here's what you can look forward to.

• Work-life balance: Hybrid working in flexible time models with 2-3 days of home office per week depending on the department and up to 18 days of workation from within the EEA and Switzerland, prorated 30 days of annual leave plus additional days off (e.g. Christmas, New Year's Eve, weddings), family services to support you with personal challenges
• Health: Pluxee food vouchers and a variety of fresh fruit, extensive health services, such as a subsidised in-house gym, vaccinations and eye tests by our company doctor and a subsidy for workplace glasses
• Mobility: Free ‘Deutschlandticket’ for public transport, JobRad bike leasing, bike storage and shower facilities, free parking in the Westhafentower
• Remuneration: Attractive salary packages including a company pension scheme and maximum employer contribution to capital-forming benefits, a wide range of training opportunities, corporate benefits and exclusive employee leasing offers
• Culture & working environment: Modern, air-conditioned offices with ergonomic workstations and 360-degree views of Frankfurt, events and team-building activities to promote team spirit and an open corporate culture, flat hierarchies with an informal culture and short communication channels

Quoniam. This is us.

Quoniam develops customised investment solutions for professional investors. As a pioneer in active quantitative asset management, we have stood for systematic equity, bond and multi-asset strategies for more than 25 years. Our success is based on our research- and data-driven methodology, a state-of-the-art IT platform and our profound capital market experience.

Quoniam is a systematic asset manager with offices in Frankfurt and London. We operate independently, creating the necessary freedom for innovative solutions. We offer our employees an inspiring environment as well as a high degree of personal responsibility and creative freedom. At the same time, our entrepreneurial freedom rests on a solid foundation thanks to our affiliation with the Union Investment Group.

By living our core values Goal Driven, Collaborative Spirit, Innovative Mindset and Trust and Authenticity, we strive to create value for our current and future stakeholders - customers, employees, shareholders, society and the planet - in line with our Company Purpose: Creating value through innovation and science-based investing. For a better tomorrow.

Curious? Then we should get to know each other.

We look forward to receiving your application via our career portal.

We believe in a work environment in which everyone can use their full potential and where their contribution matters, regardless of their background, identity or circumstances. We provide equal employment opportunities and do not discriminate against employees and applicants for employment because of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, social background and pregnancy.