Franklin Templeton - Quantitative Equity Researcher - IIM/IIT

Job Title : Quantitative Equity Researcher

Job location : Hyderabad

Reports to : Director

Job Summary :

Investment Quantitative Research Group (IQRG) is a new team formed under IMSS (Investment Management Strategic Services) in response to the growing demand for quantitative research from various investment teams.

The mission of the group is to :

- Support the investment teams in improving risk-adjusted returns

- Facilitate development of new investment products

- Empower the distribution effort

- Provide thought-leadership on data & analytics across these areas

The Quantitative Researcher (QR) will be highly engaged with the global IQRG effort collaborating with them across a range of projects involving :

- Investment idea generation, research, portfolio selection, portfolio construction, portfolio implementation, risk management, back-testing of rules-based investment and smart-beta strategies, among other areas.

- This is a high impact role as the QR will be in a position to influence how our investors make investment decisions.

- In addition to the potential of having a direct impact on the investment performance of existing products, the QR will also participate in the potential creation of new investment products.

The Quantitative Researcher in IQRG will be responsible for :

- Independently conducting rigorous quantitative research to evaluate current approaches and develop new strategies for investment idea generation, stock selection, portfolio construction/management, portfolio implementation, and risk management with the ultimate goal of improving investor outcomes.

- Developing quantitatively-driven solutions that provide portfolio managers greater actionable insight in to the drivers of returns/risks in their portfolios

- Working closely with fundamental portfolio managers and analysts across the Franklin Templeton complex to help them leverage insights from quantitative models, techniques, and solutions.

- Developing, refining, & back-testing rules-based or quantitative investment strategies.

- Developing and eventually enhancing the toolkit used to easily perform the above functions

- Communicating insights and analysis results to key stakeholders

- Keeping abreast of industry and academic research and identify new research ideas

Job Responsibilities :

- Formulate a plan to break down a high level directive or a project in to its constituent parts. Be able to use the scientific process to articulate an analysis plan

- Collect, filter, and verify data required for research, for example, fundamental financial valuation, factor exposures, expected risks, benchmark & portfolio weights, etc

- Write code in MATLAB to analyze and extract insights from data that can be stringed together to form a coherent story about why an investment decision, action, or policy is optimal / sub-optimal

- Interpret and analyze the analysis results with a critical mind considering all possible reasons for why the conclusions of the analysis may be flawed or incorrect (biases in data, incorrect assumptions, mishandling of data, treatment of outliers and missing data, etc.)

- Communicate the results or insights extracted from an analysis project as well as be able to defend why the analysis approach/results make sense and what the associated tradeoffs are

Knowledge, Education, And Experience :

- Bachelor's or Master's degree (preferred) in a quantitative discipline like Statistics, Applied Math, Computer Science, or Engineering from a top-tier institution (such as an IIT) with an MBA from an equally prestigious institution (for example, IIM).

- Out of the box thinkers with proven track record of exceptional performance & relevant work experience graduating from other institutions will also be considered.

- Ideal candidate has 3-5 years of experience in a quantitative investment management firm, asset manager, or index provider doing quantitative research and/or product back-testing

- Understanding of quantitative investment process / factor investing highly desirable

- Familiarity with FactSet, Barra or Axioma would be a strong plus

- Strong understanding of equity markets, including drivers of return, risk control, and portfolio construction techniques desirable

- Familiarity with modern portfolio theory a plus.

- Experience with machine learning (in particular linear regression), statistical hypothesis testing, and data mining methods is a strong plus

- Strong understanding of object-oriented programming and programming proficiency in Python, R or MATLAB, and SQL are essential.

Licenses And Certifications :

- CFA desirable although not required

Skills And Abilities :

- Excellent quantitative skills, as evidenced by formal training in Applied Math, Computer Science, Engineering or Statistics, and significant experience in utilizing those skills in a research environment.

- Demonstrated ability to conduct high quality empirical research

- Strong understanding of data available in the equity segment of the investment management industry, ability to ferret out relevant data, and ability to construct databases that are useful for validating research results.

- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal. The successful candidate must have the confidence and credibility to persuasively interact with colleagues.

- Ability to work independently or as a part of a team, and to lead a research project from whiteboard to code implementation

- Well organized and self-motivated

- Strong intellectual curiosity and attentiveness to details

- Creativity, enthusiasm, and the ability to excel in an entrepreneurial environment.

- Resourcefulness and ability to think out of the box for enhancing research process, generating ideas, and working on client-initiated projects.

- Time management skills and ability to perform under pressure

Travel Requirements : Minimal Travel