Associate - QIS

From global institutions to hedge funds, investors come to Morgan Stanley for sales, trading, and market-making services in almost every type of financial instrument in all the world’s financial markets. Morgan Stanley professionals use our network and technology to provide liquidity and sophisticated analysis, to manage risk and execute reliably in the fast-changing markets.

Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Equity Division (IED) is a world leader in the origination, distribution and trading of equity, equity-linked and equity-derivative securities. Our broad and deep client relationships, market-leading platform and intellectual insights enable us to be a world-class service provider to our clients for their financing, market access and portfolio management needs.

Global Markets Group is the offshoring arm of Morgan Stanley’s Equity businesses in India. It covers functions across IED ranging from those associated with sales, trading, analytics, strats to risk management.

Primary Responsibilities

The Quantitative and Investment Strategies Group (QIS) provides investment strategies and quantitative models and bespoke strategies to external clients and the sales desk. We are looking for proactive, self-starting individual to be part of our India team working with Asia QIS in this area. This is a challenging role and offering exposure to an interesting, dynamic product group and work environment to build your career in.

Responsibilities for this role would involve:

• Building of equity and multi-asset index development - back testing, coding, tweaking codes etc.
• Developing new strategies based on factors like beta, risk-premia, volatility, momentum, and launching the same for trade.
• Index oversight - Daily monitoring of the complex indices & resolving calculation issues (data problems, calendar errors, common code errors etc.)
• Working actively on client directed strategies and building the same.
• Minor modifications to existing live indices e.g. new cost structures, universe changes, minor methodology adjustments
• Index Description drafting for minor adjustments, Repeat Index Launch Form completion
• Production of periodic standard performance reporting for client distribution
• Bespoke scenario/sensitivity analysis for clients

Skills required (essential)

• Degree with a quantitative discipline (BE, BTech, MS in Maths/Statistics/Financial Engineering) from Tier 1 & 2 institutes
• Progress towards CFA is preferred
• 1-2 years relevant working experience in a QIS role using Java (or C++) and Python(mandatory) in the library of a front office team. KDB database knowledge is a plus.
• Must be able to flexibly respond to changes in priorities, be able to communicate results to a less-technical audience, work well in a team and be comfortable in a front office environment.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills/Ability to express ideas via writing. Prior track record in writing marketing material/trade ideas for wider distribution will be advantageous.
• Proactiveness / Initiative taking & Teamwork

In addition, the candidate should have theoretical or practical understanding of -

• Option Greeks and their behavior over time
• Derivative products like Swaps, Swaptions, Spread Options, Cap/Floors, range accruals, Digitals etc.
• General behavior of Equity Derivatives markets – Flow and Structured Products