Business Manager - Systematic

Chicago Trading Company · Chicago, IL · CTC Trading Group, LLC

Posted Sep 11, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Walk me through your background and what pulled you toward a business manager role inside a systematic trading business specifically, rather than a general PM role elsewhere.

whether the candidate understands why trading firms need this role distinct from generic program management

Tell me about a time you had to build a roadmap for a project where researchers, traders, and engineers all had different priorities. How did you sequence the work and get agreement.

ability to reconcile competing stakeholder priorities into a workable sequence

Tell me about a post-incident review you ran or contributed to. What did the process look like and what changed afterward.

whether they actually drive follow-through on root cause analysis rather than just documenting incidents

Describe a time you had to get the right people in a room to unblock a stalled project. What was stalling it, and how did you know who needed to be there.

judgment about stakeholder mapping and facilitation skill, not just scheduling meetings

Tell me about OKRs you've set or managed. How did you handle a quarter where the team clearly wasn't going to hit them.

experience with goal-setting frameworks and honesty about tracking real progress versus vanity metrics

Give me an example of a recommendation you made that people initially disagreed with, where you had to be decisive and push it through anyway.

whether they can move from analysis to a clear, defensible call under disagreement

Tell me about a time a project you were managing had to pivot completely partway through. How did you handle the team's morale and the replanning.

resilience and adaptability described in the posting as a growth mindset

Technical

Can you explain what delta hedging is and why a market maker needs to do it continuously.

baseline fluency in options mechanics needed to talk credibly with traders and quants

Walk me through the difference between internalizing and externalizing an order flow, and why a firm would care about the mix.

understanding of trade flow economics relevant to execution cost optimization

How would you read a volatility surface, and what would a strange shape or a sudden shift tell you about risk in the book.

depth of options risk knowledge beyond textbook definitions

Situational

Say you're tracking a project to expand into a new product line and two weeks before a milestone you learn a dependency on the data infrastructure team is going to slip by a month. What do you do first.

instinct for escalation and replanning under pressure rather than just reporting the delay

If you inherited a workflow between research and production that had inconsistencies causing bugs downstream, how would you go about diagnosing where the divergence starts.

structured thinking about research-to-production consistency, a named pain point in the posting

How would you approach mapping an end-to-end process you'd never seen before, say a trade lifecycle you're unfamiliar with, in order to find the bottleneck.

practical process-mapping methodology and speed of ramping into unfamiliar domains

How would you think about data requirements for a new model research use case if you're not a quant yourself. What questions would you ask the researchers.

comfort operating as a translator between technical research needs and infrastructure delivery without deep quant expertise

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The full job description

As published by Chicago Trading Company.

<div class="content-intro">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.</div>This high visibility role directly supports senior leadership and is pivotal in scaling and driving operational excellence for CTC’s systematic trading business. You will collaborate closely with quantitative researchers, traders, technologists, and cross functional enterprise teams to accelerate strategic initiatives - expanding product offerings, optimizing execution costs, and strengthening risk management frameworks.   WHAT YOU'LL DO <ul> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Assist in building roadmaps, reviewing interdependencies, and help with sequencing. </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Help team members break projects down into smaller, incremental commercial steps. Track progress and drive accountability.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Anticipate breaks in project plans, escalate and adjust plans as projects pivot.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Improve team communication by getting right stakeholders in the room, re-centering focus by summarizing current state, shepherding projects to sensible next steps and defining what good follow-ups looks like.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Develop solid understanding of data processes and infrastructure. Understand current and future downstream data use cases. Drive data requirements as they relate to model research use cases.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Help business leads drive high degree of consistency between research and production.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Drive cross team collaboration with other businesses and departments.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Assist in supporting technical upgrades to management tooling.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Optimize workflows: map end-to-end processes, identify bottlenecks, and recommend enhancements or new tools to enable continuous improvement.  </li> <li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Foster a high-performance culture: create a collaborative culture committed to problem solving, high quality delivery, and ongoing refinement of processes.  </li> </ul> WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Bachelor or Master’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (preferred).  </li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Experience in systematic trading, quantitative / technical program management, or consulting in options/volatility strategies - or similarly complex environments.  </li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Understanding of options risk (Greeks, volatility surfaces), internalization/externalization trade flows, and delta hedging fundamentals.  </li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Proven track record in program and process management across engineering and trading, with expertise in OKRs, dependency mapping, and post incident analysis. </li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Exceptional communication skills - capable of producing clear, concise reporting, making decisive recommendations, and driving swift execution.  </li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Adaptive problem solver with a growth mindset - able to learn from setbacks, pivot quickly, and champion continuous improvement.  </li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Genuine commitment to CTC’s values of diversity, ethical excellence, and equal opportunity - thriving in a fast-moving, collaborative environment. </li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description">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. </div><div class="title">Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range">$175,000—$225,000 USD</div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion">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 info@chicagotrading.com. 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.</div>

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Business Manager - Systematic

Likely interview questions for this role

Practice this interview out loud.

The full job description

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