Q: What does Quantbot mean by "work-life balance?"

We strive to create and maintain a collaborative and collegial work environment based on meritocracy but without being too distracting so the focus stays on research and product development. We are (almost) location independent and, besides having staff in our main operations offices, host strategists in various offshore locations throughout Europe and the US.

- Michael Botlo, Co-Founder




Q: Why do you think the more relaxed and collegial atmosphere at Quantbot encourages improved productivity?

We, as the management team, are big believers in the career growth of our employees so we encourage people to share ideas and use common toolsets (while also respecting IP). This also includes giving employees the flexibility to choose where they work from. People are regularly able to work from home or other off-site locations. We also enjoy bonding with all our employees at company lunches and group outings, regular research seminars, our communal Quantbot library, and even arranging our employees to visit the global offices on business trips. We believe in a flat organizational structure where people are responsible for their specific projects while also encouraging teamwork and the cross-pollination of ideas. Our strict “no suits or ties” dress code doesn’t hurt for office camaraderie!

- Ashar Mahboob, Co-Founder




Q: What background do you look for in a Quantbot employee? Do you only look for people that studied finance or computers?

Every single person involved in the investment process at Quantbot writes code. So, if you want to be involved in designing, researching or implementing strategies, then you have to be able to code. That doesn’t mean everyone is a CompSci genius. It just means that everyone needs to be comfortable enough with one or more of the programming languages we use, C++, Python, R, etc., that they can implement their investment ideas directly in code. We have a wide variety of academic backgrounds including Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Financial Engineering, Electrical Engineering and other science oriented fields. When we hire people, we look for strong quantitative ability, hands-on programming experience and excellent communication skills. By far, the most important test though is the the ‘no jerk’ test, we’ve had our fill of working with difficult people on Wall Street and we will not hire them into our firm, no matter how great a quant/programmer/manager, etc., they are.

- Paul White, Co-Founder