See market signals. Develop an insight. Take a view. Form a plan. Identify smart risks and execute complex trades at scale.

Entrepreneurs Welcome

Traders collaborate with quantitative researchers and engineers to generate original thinking. Together, they put great ideas to work, achieving better results.

About Our Markets & Trading Team

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Fundamental Analyst

Rely on advanced process, data and intuition. Predict how a security’s price will move in response to market events. Forecast price changes to generate actionable trade ideas.

Semi-Systematic Trader

Blend automated execution with intelligent decision-making. Adapt your strategy for selecting securities in response to changing risks, prices and market opportunities.

Systematic Trader

Manage our trading systems in real time. Help us develop and deploy new systems and trading technologies while monitoring and managing risk.

Valuable Early

Career Training

Academic Coursework

Learn asset class fundamentals, technical skills and decision making from experienced industry professionals.

Immersive Mock Trading

Explore all the markets in which we operate by studying key dynamics and significant events. Hone your skills and intuition through mock trading scenarios.

Leadership Training

Benefit from practical instruction on leading teams, managing projects and communicating with colleagues.

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A Day in the Life of a Trader

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Answers For Applicants

Traders from our team answer some of our candidates’ most frequently asked questions.

What is the culture like for traders?

Entrepreneurial

Great ideas, even from junior traders, are rewarded with the opportunity and resources to pursue them. Managers are responsible for setting the high-level strategy but work directly alongside traders on the desk. This means great ideas and meaningful contributions can come from anyone on the team—creating a true meritocracy. The most successful people at Citadel Securities are those who proactively identify problems and propose solutions.

Collaborative

We value winning as a team and are set up to do just that. We are in constant communication throughout the day and work closely with quantitative researchers and engineers – not just other traders.

Ambitious

We are uncompromising when it comes to being the best and delivering the most for our clients. There is no better pressure test for your strategies and solutions than the market and its real-time feedback. We know when to pivot. We don’t just think about what works today—we also think about what will create the most value for the firm in the future.

What qualities make someone a successful trader?

Curious

Successful traders enjoy putting their curiosity to use. It is more than being attentive to markets and current events; it’s the desire to use the information available to identify opportunities. An interest in continuous learning about the markets and managing risk is key to quickly building confidence and trading expertise.

Solution oriented

The markets change rapidly. Being able to synthesize a lot of information and make critical decisions is important. The market provides immediate feedback, so you must have the desire to iterate in real-time.

Perceptive

You enjoy apprenticeship and have the confidence to watch, learn and take calculated risks. As a trader, learning opportunities come with each execution.

What types of complex mathematical or statistical problems do you solve?

There are many, but good examples include exploring measures of volatility and risk as well as exploring themes across market structures. It’s rewarding to construct new models that explain performance and risk exposure. Our teams rely on various time-series techniques to analyze and provide context to the results of our trading.

The immediate feedback we receive from testing hypotheses developed with these models is really motivating – helping us continue to push harder and pursue better outcomes.

What Makes a Great Candidate

BS/MS in mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, economics or another quantitative field preferred
Passion for the financial markets and trading
Established capability for systematic problem solving
Technical skills: acute understanding of risk taking in uncertain conditions, programming languages, algorithm theory and statistics
Strategic decision-making skills: strong ability to take in new information and act quickly
Resilience: desire to take ownership, commitment to working with integrity and ability to overcome obstacles to achieve long-term goals
Intellectual curiosity and a motivation to learn

We’re Ready
When You Are

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Engineering

Join a team of problem-solvers who rapidly build technology for production.

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Quantitative Research

Apply your quantitative skills to mission-critical predictive modeling.