Jobs › Akuna Capital

Junior Quantitative Risk Analyst

Akuna Capital · Chicago, IL · Risk

Posted Aug 5, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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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

Tell me about a time you had to learn a new technical tool or concept quickly to finish a project.

speed of ramp-up given the role's steep learning curve into a highly abstract internal framework

Describe a project where you worked closely with software developers. What friction came up and how did you handle it?

ability to collaborate across a technical team with different priorities, since this role is built on that partnership

Tell me about a time your attention to detail caught a mistake others missed.

evidence of the detail-orientation the posting explicitly calls out

Tell me about a time you had to make a decision quickly with incomplete information.

whether the candidate can operate calmly when markets move faster than analysis allows

What draws you to risk specifically, rather than a trading or purely developer role here at Akuna?

genuine motivation and understanding of what the risk function actually does day to day

Technical

Walk me through how you would price a call option and what happens to that price as volatility increases.

whether the candidate has real grounding in options theory, not just memorized terms

Explain what delta, gamma, and vega mean to someone who has never traded options.

ability to communicate risk concepts clearly to non-specialists, since this role sits between traders and developers

Say you're given a large table of historical trade and position data in Python. How would you go about finding unusual spikes in risk exposure?

practical comfort with data manipulation and pattern-finding, not just theoretical stats knowledge

Write out, in words or pseudocode, how you would check whether a portfolio has breached a positional limit in real time.

whether the candidate can think in terms of automated systems and edge cases rather than one-off manual checks

How would you design an automated report that flags when a book's risk exposure crosses a threshold, and what would you do to make sure it doesn't cry wolf too often?

ability to think about false positives and practical usability, not just build something that technically works

Situational

Suppose a trading system starts sending orders that violate an exchange limit during volatile market conditions. What do you check first, and who do you talk to?

judgment under time pressure and understanding of escalation paths in a live risk incident

If market volatility suddenly triples overnight, what risk metrics would you want to look at first thing in the morning and why?

prioritization instinct and understanding of which risk measures actually matter in a stress scenario

If you noticed a discrepancy between the risk numbers your model produces and what a trader is seeing on their screen, how would you track down the source?

debugging mindset across data, code, and financial logic simultaneously

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The full job description

As published by Akuna Capital.

About Akuna:  Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions, and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market maker – meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully, we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies, and mathematical models.   Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, London and Singapore.  What you’ll do as a Junior Quantitative Risk Analyst at Akuna:  We are looking for a motivated and talented individual to join our growing Risk Department. This role is part of a major investment in measuring and controlling market and execution risks where you will work on new development projects at the intersection of trading, options theory and automation. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to grow and evolve with our firm! In this role, you will:  <ul> <li>Work as a part of a small Risk team and alongside Developers and Analysts to build efficient and smart protections around Akuna’s trading</li> <li>Collaborate with Developers to improve our risk infrastructure, implementing risk measures and automated reporting</li> <li>Work directly inside Akuna’s highly abstract and automated computational framework</li> <li>Develop new ways to quantify risk and performance measures, working with market and historical data</li> <li>Assist in the setting, testing and monitoring of internal, exchange and third-party trading system and positional limits </li> </ul> Qualities that make great candidates:  <ul> <li>Finance experience or some knowledge of options theory</li> <li>Programming experience (e.g., Python); SQL is preferred but not required</li> <li>Numerical problem-solving and programming skills</li> <li>Independent thinker, motivated with great attention to detail</li> <li>A degree in a quantitative field, or evidence of mathematical and quantitative skill</li> <li>The ability to react quickly and accurately to rapidly changing market conditions, including the ability to quickly and accurately respond and/or solve math and coding problems are essential functions of the role</li> </ul> In addition to technical skillsets, Akuna values the unique perspectives people can bring to the table to collaboratively solve complex problems and drive Akuna forward. We want everyone to feel empowered to apply. We welcome your application and encourage you to take the first steps toward your future with us! In accordance with Illinois Equal Pay Act, the minimum base salary starts at $90,000. Exact compensation offered may vary based on many factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and skill set. This role is also eligible for a discretionary performance bonus as part of the total compensation package and includes a comprehensive benefits package that may encompass employer-paid medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, and other benefits. The minimum base salary herein was determined in good faith by Akuna Capital LLC.

Apply at Akuna Capital

Junior Quantitative Risk Analyst

Likely interview questions for this role

Practice this interview out loud.

The full job description

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