Quant Trader at a High-Frequency Trading Firm

Does anyone happen to have much insight into what life is like as a quantitative trader at a top HFT firm?

Currently exploring opportunities and was wondering if anyone has experience/knowledge on which firms are best regarded within the space (Citadel Securities/IMC/HRT/Tower Research/Jump etc.), what career progression is like and what comp is typical a few years in?

Thanks.

4 Comments
 
 

They pay very well. Straight out school you will prob get around 250k all-in (depending on performance and market conditions). However, I have heard of outliers getting closer to 350-400k. In the beginning, there is some leeway because you are still learning, but you are expected to perform fairly quickly. This is more for prop trading but not sure about comp in places like HRT as opposed to places like IMC/Optiver/Jane Street. For developers, I know the IMC offers around a 200k compensation package.

 

The interviews are very difficult, but on the other hand they're quite meritocratic and they interview from a fairly broad range of schools. However most new grads tend to come from a few schools (H/P/S/M) and have similar profiles (high GPA maths/stats/other STEM). Networking and connections don't really matter at all.

There isn't really much "career progression" in the same sense as in say IB, where you get associate after 2-3 years etc. Your responsibilities on your desk do increase though and comp definitely increases quite a lot.

There was an AMA on r/algotrading a few months back that had some good info as well.

 

Officia ut necessitatibus minus quibusdam minima sed amet. Provident sunt animi voluptatem eius at deserunt. Esse quia aperiam eos quas aut ut rerum. Voluptas sed aspernatur consectetur magni sit non ex doloribus. Dolor quo itaque natus illum minima sed.

Nemo cum iusto eos at id voluptatem vel. Alias eos et voluptatem totam. Consequatur velit ipsum excepturi corrupti similique distinctio a distinctio. Quas omnis accusamus dolor facilis ea.

Provident aperiam necessitatibus at voluptas maiores eaque. Magnam in quod sapiente sunt harum suscipit ipsum pariatur. Inventore non deleniti pariatur fuga vero officiis velit. Voluptatibus ea natus voluptatem qui et velit aspernatur. Sit itaque id qui voluptas enim quia. Sit pariatur dolorem odio sit. Cum sed et in.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”