Quant jobs / Virtu Financial

Quantitative Trader (PhD)

A PhD entry route into trading at a market maker, running algorithmic strategies on electronic venues after intensive training. No finance background is expected.

What you’d work on

Our reading of the posting: what a new hire in this role would most likely spend their first months on.

Learn trade flow on the trading floor
Operate and monitor live algorithmic strategies
Tune parameters and react to market events
Work with engineers on strategy improvements

What they ask for

Required

PhD in a quantitative field
Strong quantitative problem solving
Programming experience
Precise communication
Initiative and teamwork

Preferred

Python, SQL, Java or C++
Trading, strategy games or poker

Education: PhD in science, maths, engineering or another quantitative field
Experience: No finance background required
Languages and tools: Python
SQL
Java
C++

How to prepare

Practise probability, game theory and mental maths
Learn market microstructure basics
Play and analyse strategy games or poker for decision-making under uncertainty
Prepare for a HackerRank-style online test

What to study

The HFT Quantitative Researcher roadmap sets out the stages for this kind of role, with free resources for each.

Open the roadmap

Apply

Read the full posting on Virtu Financial’s site before applying: requirements, location and pay can change after we check them.

View the posting on Virtu Financial’s site ↗

SelfMadeQuant wrote this summary from the employer’s public posting, last checked 6 November 2026. SelfMadeQuant isn’t affiliated with Virtu Financial and doesn’t handle applications.