A risk manager at a quant firm monitors exposure, enforces limits, runs stress and scenario analysis and challenges the desks independently of them. New York total compensation typically runs from about $130,000 at entry level to $450,000 or more for a head of risk at a multi-strategy platform.
Live vacancies
0
Employers hiring
0
Market guides
17
Seniority bands
4
How much does a risk manager earn?
A risk manager at a quant firm monitors exposure, enforces limits, runs stress and scenario analysis and challenges the desks independently of them. New York total compensation typically runs from about $130,000 at entry level to $450,000 or more for a head of risk at a multi-strategy platform.
KnowQuant research desk·Updated 1 September 2026·4 seniority bands across 17 hub markets·Method 2026.1
Live demand for this function
We price this function but do not count it as a separate category in the live job book, so there is no vacancy figure to publish here. Search the live roles at tracked firms to see what is genuinely open today; the pay bands below are modelled and dated separately.
Annual median wage across all employers, not just quant firms, for the government occupations closest to a risk manager. Quant-firm pay usually sits well above these medians; use them as a floor and a regional guide, not as a quant benchmark.
New York reference market, US dollars. Base salary and total compensation.
Risk Manager compensation by seniority in New York, September 2026
Level
Experience
Base
Total comp
Risk Analyst
0-2 yrs
$95k – $130k
$130k – $200k
Risk Manager
2-5 yrs
$125k – $175k
$180k – $320k
Senior Risk Manager
5-8 yrs
$160k – $225k
$250k – $450k
Head of Risk
8+ yrs
$200k – $300k
$350k – $750k
About the role
Independence is the point of the role, which is why it reports outside the trading line and why the seniority band matters more than the title. The work is quantitative without being signal research: exposure aggregation, factor and liquidity risk, margin and financing, counterparty limits and the daily conversation with portfolio managers about what a position can lose. Multi-strategy platforms pay the highest because risk sits at the centre of their operating model.
Sourced answers to the questions people bring to this page, each with the figure, the date and the caveat.
How much does a risk manager earn?
A risk manager at a quant firm monitors exposure, enforces limits, runs stress and scenario analysis and challenges the desks independently of them. New York total compensation typically runs from about $130,000 at entry level to $450,000 or more for a head of risk at a multi-strategy platform. The New York band runs $130k – $750k in annual total compensation, with a modelled reference estimate of $240k. Figures are base salary plus expected performance bonus, excluding sign-on, deferred equity and carry.
What does a risk manager earn at entry level?
An entry hire (Risk Analyst, 0-2 years) is typically offered $95k to $130k in base salary and $130k to $200k in total compensation in New York. At the senior end (Head of Risk, 8+ years) total compensation reaches $750k.
Where is the best-paid market for a risk manager?
New York leads on headline modelled total compensation at $240k, with London at £161k. Both are modelled reference estimates for the role, not observed medians. Bands are shown in each market's local currency across 17 hub markets, so tax treatment and cost of living still change the net picture materially.
What skills do firms hire risk managers for?
The recurring requirements are Market risk, Stress testing, Python, Factor models, Margin and financing. Typical backgrounds are risk professionals from banks and hedge funds, quant analysts moving into risk, financial mathematics graduates.
How many risk managers roles are open right now?
No risk manager vacancies are classified as open in the index at this moment. Counts are rebuilt from employer career pages rather than reposted listings, so the figure moves as firms open and close roles.
Can I quote these risk manager figures?
Yes, with attribution and a link. Method 2026.1, last reviewed September 2026. Cite the dated edition rather than the live page if you need the number to stay stable: KnowQuant Quant Compensation Benchmark, Q3 2026 edition, method 2026.1. https://www.know-quant.com/salary/risk-manager
Free to quote and republish with attribution and a link to the source page, under our terms. Method 2026.1, last reviewed 1 September 2026. The methodology sets out how each band is built and what it excludes.
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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.
KnowQuant·Index 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.
KnowQuant·Index 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
KnowQuant · Publishes indicative market ranges for information purposes and does not provide financial advice.