Jobs › DRW

Quantitative Trader - Futures

DRW · Chicago, IL · $150,000–$250,000 a year · FICC Options Trading - Liquidity Providing

Posted Aug 19, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at DRW

Likely interview questions for this role

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

About your past

Tell me about a systematic strategy you ran that stopped working. How did you know, and what did you do?

What they are checking: Honest experience with strategy decay and disciplined decisions to cut or adjust.

Tell me about the best trade or strategy idea you've had and why it worked.

What they are checking: Clear thinking about where their edge came from, not just that it made money.

What would you do

You'd be embedded within a team that trades both discretionary and systematic options. How do you work with discretionary traders who are skeptical of models?

What they are checking: Building trust across trading styles while bringing systematic approaches into an existing platform.

A sudden macro event sends rates futures sharply in one direction. What do you check first?

What they are checking: Calm risk awareness and fast assessment of exposures during market stress.

About the work

You'd build futures-driven systematic strategies that complement a FICCO options franchise. How would delta-one strategies add value to an options business?

What they are checking: Understanding of how futures strategies can hedge, inform or diversify an options book.

Walk me through how you'd take a futures strategy from idea to live deployment.

What they are checking: Full-lifecycle experience from research and backtesting through risk limits and production.

How do you model execution costs and market impact in futures markets?

What they are checking: Practical knowledge of liquidity and slippage, which decides whether strategies survive live trading.

How would you handle roll dynamics and term structure in a systematic futures strategy?

What they are checking: Futures-specific knowledge that separates experienced traders from general quants.

How would you size positions and set risk limits for a new strategy with limited live history?

What they are checking: Conservative, thoughtful risk management for strategies that have not yet proven themselves in live markets.

How do you decide which strategies to scale and which to keep small?

What they are checking: Capacity and edge assessment, which the posting describes as scaling strategies.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at DRW from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by DRW.

DRW is a diversified trading firm with over 3 decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. We value autonomy and the ability to quickly pivot to capture opportunities, so we operate using our own capital and trading at our own risk. Headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we trade a variety of asset classes including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities and Energy across all major global markets. We have also leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non-traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital and cryptoassets. We operate with respect, curiosity and open minds. The people who thrive here share our belief that it’s not just what we do that matters–it's how we do it. DRW is a place of high expectations, integrity, innovation and a willingness to challenge consensus. DRW is seeking a Senior Quantitative Trader (Delta One) to join the FICCO options trading business. This individual will operate as an embedded quantitative research and trading lead within an established discretionary and systematic options platform, with a mandate to design, deploy, and scale futures-driven systematic strategies that complement and enhance the broader FICCO options franchise. This role focuses on delta-one strategy development , systematic futures execution, portfolio hedging, and quantitative signal generation across global futures markets. The individual will partner closely with options traders to integrate futures-based signals, directional overlays, and risk-efficient hedging frameworks into the broader derivatives platform. This position is suited for someone with demonstrated PnL ownership, deep quantitative expertise, and experience building scalable, systematic trading frameworks within derivatives markets. Key Responsibilities • Design, develop, and deploy systematic delta-one futures trading strategies across global markets (rates, FX, commodities, equities) • Build and refine delta-driven signal generation frameworks to support both standalone futures strategies and options portfolios • Implement robust futures-based hedging methodologies to optimize portfolio risk across the FICCO options business • Develop and execute directional options overlays grounded in quantitative futures signals • Understand and manage risk across live strategies, including exposure, volatility, liquidity, and cross-asset correlations • Partner closely with developers and trading infrastructure teams to productionize models and optimize execution • Conduct rigorous research, backtesting, and performance attribution analysis • Continuously iterate on models to improve signal quality, scalability, and capital efficiency • Contribute to portfolio construction and capital allocation decisions within the FICCO platform Qualifications • 7+ years of experience in systematic trading, preferably in futures and listed derivatives • Proven track record of direct PnL ownership in a quant-driven trading environment • Strong understanding of derivatives pricing, volatility dynamics, and risk modeling • Deep experience in signal research, statistical modeling, and alpha generation • Fluency in Python and experience working with large-scale datasets • Strong knowledge of market microstructure and execution optimization • Ability to independently drive research while collaborating effectively within a trading team Preferred Background • Experience trading across global futures markets (equities, rates, commodities, FX) • Experience integrating options strategies within systematic futures frameworks • Familiarity with portfolio construction, capital allocation, and risk budgeting models • Experience working within or alongside an options trading desk • Advanced degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, or related field The annual base salary range for this position is $150,000 to $250,000 depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant skill set. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition, DRW offers a comprehensive suite of employee benefits including group medical, pharmacy, dental and vision insurance, 401k (with discretionary employer match), short and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance, health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts. For more information about DRW's processing activities and our use of job applicants' data, please view our Privacy Notice at https://drw.com/privacy-notice . California residents, please review the California Privacy Notice for information about certain legal rights at https://drw.com/california-privacy-notice . #LI-JW1

Apply at DRW