Firm intelligence

The firms that hire quants

Compensation positioning, strategy mix, office locations and interview process for the leading quantitative employers.

Firms profiled: 15
Index version: 2026.1
Last updated: September 2026
Comparison tool: Head to head

Which firms pay quants the most?

Citadel, Jane Street, Hudson River Trading and D. E. Shaw sit at the top of the market for quant compensation, typically paying 20-30% above the median for the same role and seniority. Multi-strategy platforms such as Citadel and Millennium pay the highest absolute numbers at portfolio-manager level, where compensation is a share of profit.

Quant employers by type, locations and pay positioning
Firm	Type	HQ	Offices	Pay vs market
Citadel / Citadel Securities	Multi-strategy platform	Miami	7	+30%
Jane Street	Proprietary trading	New York	6	+25%
Hudson River Trading	Proprietary trading	New York	5	+22%
Jump Trading	Proprietary trading	Chicago	8	+20%
D. E. Shaw	Systematic manager	New York	4	+20%
Millennium Management	Multi-strategy platform	New York	6	+18%
Two Sigma	Systematic manager	New York	4	+15%
DRW	Proprietary trading	Chicago	7	+12%
Point72	Multi-strategy platform	Stamford	7	+12%
Optiver	Market maker	Amsterdam	6	+10%
Susquehanna (SIG)	Market maker	Philadelphia	5	+8%
IMC Trading	Market maker	Amsterdam	7	+5%
Marshall Wace	Hedge fund	London	4	+5%
Man Group	Systematic manager	London	7	-5%
Winton	Systematic manager	London	2	-10%

Pay positioning is a research desk estimate against the market median for an equivalent role and seniority, reviewed each cycle · September 2026

Jane Street

Proprietary trading

Known for ETF and options market making at scale, an unusually strong graduate pipeline, and a distinctive engineering culture built around OCaml. Entry-level packages are among the highest in the industry, and the firm hires heavily for probabilistic reasoning rather than finance knowledge.

New York · London · Austin · Hong Kong · Singapore · Amsterdam

Citadel / Citadel Securities

Multi-strategy platform

Two connected businesses - the hedge fund and the market-making arm - that between them cover almost every quantitative discipline. Compensation is top of market and the performance bar is correspondingly high. The most common destination for senior researchers and portfolio managers changing platform.

New York · Chicago · London · Hong Kong · San Francisco · Paris · Dubai / Abu Dhabi

Hudson River Trading

Proprietary trading

Engineering-first proprietary firm where the distinction between researcher and developer is deliberately blurred. Strong reputation for technical depth and for paying engineers at research levels.

New York · Chicago · London · Singapore · San Francisco

Jump Trading

Proprietary trading

Latency-focused firm with a heavy investment in hardware, networking and FPGA. Notably private about its operations, and a leading destination for low-latency specialists.

Chicago · New York · London · Singapore · Hong Kong · Amsterdam · Sydney · Shanghai

Optiver

Market maker

One of the largest options market makers globally, with a strong graduate programme and a trading culture built around speed of reasoning. Amsterdam base salaries look modest until the bonus multiple is accounted for.

Amsterdam · Chicago · London · Singapore · Hong Kong · Paris

IMC Trading

Market maker

Long-established market maker with a technology-led approach and a reputation for a more balanced culture than some peers, while remaining highly competitive on compensation.

Amsterdam · Chicago · Singapore · Hong Kong · London · Sydney · Mumbai

DRW

Proprietary trading

Diversified proprietary firm covering traditional derivatives alongside significant digital-asset and venture activity. Broader strategy mix than most Chicago peers.

Chicago · London · Amsterdam · Singapore · New York · Greenwich / Stamford · Toronto

Two Sigma

Systematic manager

Technology-company culture applied to systematic investing, with heavy use of machine learning and alternative data. Competes with AI labs and large technology firms as much as with other funds.

New York · London · Hong Kong · San Francisco

D. E. Shaw

Systematic manager

One of the original quantitative funds and still among the most selective. Combines systematic and discretionary businesses, with a research culture that rewards depth over speed.

New York · London · Hong Kong · Singapore

Millennium Management

Multi-strategy platform

The archetypal pod platform: independent teams with their own books, tight risk limits and a formulaic payout. The most active hirer of portfolio managers and whole teams, including into the Gulf.

New York · London · Dubai / Abu Dhabi · Hong Kong · Singapore · Zurich / Geneva

Point72

Multi-strategy platform

Discretionary heritage with a substantial and growing systematic business, plus a well-known academy programme that trains analysts from outside finance.

New York · Greenwich / Stamford · London · Hong Kong · Singapore · Dubai / Abu Dhabi · Mumbai

Susquehanna (SIG)

Market maker

Decision-theory and game-theory driven culture, famous for teaching poker as part of trader development. Strong graduate training and a distinctive approach to probabilistic reasoning.

New York · Chicago · London · Hong Kong · Singapore

Man Group

Systematic manager

The largest listed hedge fund manager, with AHL as its systematic engine and a strong academic research culture including university partnerships. A common route into systematic research in London.

London · New York · Boston · Hong Kong · Zurich / Geneva · Paris · Shanghai

Marshall Wace

Hedge fund

Best known for its systematic alpha-capture platform combined with a large discretionary equity business. A leading London destination for equity-focused quantitative research.

London · New York · Hong Kong · Dubai / Abu Dhabi

Winton

Systematic manager

Research-led systematic manager with a strongly scientific culture and an emphasis on long-horizon statistical work rather than short-term signals.

London · Hong Kong

Hiring against any of these firms?

We track this employer universe continuously. Ask the desk for a confidential read on pay, pace and pool before you go to market.

Work with us

A trading floor at dusk seen across rows of monitors

Under coverage

A defined universe of employers, watched on a dated cycle

We track a fixed set of quantitative employers and say exactly how each one is verified. Named at market level, anonymised at advert level until we have spoken with you.

Methodology

Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.

KnowQuantIndex 2026.1 · Updated September 2026

Modelled bands describe the market, not an individual offer. Where an employer states pay, the stated figure is used and labelled as such.