Aquatic Capital Management: Careers, Jobs & Salary Guide

Research Aquatic Capital Management using official company records, seven role requirements, disclosed base salaries, Summer 2027 internships and a practical preparation plan.

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Aquatic Capital Management is a quantitative investment manager with Chicago, New York and London offices. Its official board lists seven research and technology openings, including Summer 2027 internships. Compare employer-linked eligibility and published base pay, choose a research or engineering direction, and build a preparation plan. Records and vacancies were checked on 3 October 2026.

What to know first

  • Start at aquatic.com and its linked Greenhouse board; the employer’s current posting determines the role and location.
  • Experienced research, early-career research, PhD research and internships have different eligibility requirements.
  • Published dollar base ranges run from $150,000–$200,000 to $150,000–$300,000 for specific full-time roles; bonus and London-specific pay remain separate questions.
  • Machine learning appears within research and computing responsibilities, but no separate Machine Learning Engineer vacancy was listed when checked.
  • Research interns are advertised in Chicago and London; software engineering interns in Chicago. Both target Summer 2027 with a stated graduation window.
  • The exercises below are independent preparation suggestions, not Aquatic interview questions or a verified hiring sequence.

What is Aquatic Capital Management?

Aquatic manages systematic investment strategies and describes research, engineering and risk management as central to its business. Its official website identifies founder Jonathan Graham and his previous leadership of Citadel’s Global Quantitative Strategies business. The legal disclosures identify Aquatic Capital Management LLC as the US investment adviser and Aquatic Capital UK LLP as a UK affiliate.

Official navigation: company website · open jobs and applications · regulatory profile. The company site lists Chicago at 225 W Randolph Street, New York at 461 Fifth Avenue and London at 1 Angel Court.

The company does not publicly disclose a complete strategy catalogue, holding periods or proprietary model architecture. A job mentioning machine learning does not establish that every strategy uses deep learning. A software role mentioning latency does not make every investment strategy high frequency.

Check the individual vacancy for its advertised location. A company office in a city does not mean every role is offered there.

Company size, formation and AUM: keep the dates and definitions

Public directories sometimes disagree because they measure different entities or reuse older data. The following figures come from identifiable records rather than a blended estimate.

Question Verified record Scope and date
When was the US legal entity created? 7 November 2018 Bloomberg LEI record for Aquatic Capital Management LLC; legal creation is distinct from a fund’s launch
How many employees were reported? 91, including 67 performing investment advisory functions Form ADV, Item 5.A/B, in the amendment filed 30 June 2026; includes full- and part-time staff, excludes clerical workers
What regulatory AUM was reported? $5,430,350,270, approximately $5.43 billion The same filing, Item 5.F; all discretionary, across four accounts

These are dated disclosures. The filing date is not a live employee count or a daily asset valuation. Four reported accounts also do not mean four individual investors. Use the IAPD profile to find a newer filing when available.

Regulatory AUM, fund gross asset value and reportable 13F holdings are different measures. Do not substitute them, add overlapping master/feeder fund values or interpret AUM growth as investment returns.

Official jobs: requirements and locations by role

The official careers board showed these seven openings on 3 October 2026. Each role name links to its employer-authored description. Recheck availability before submitting an application.

Advertised role Advertised locations Eligibility and technical emphasis
Quantitative Researcher Chicago; New York; London At least 4 years of full-time professional experience; scientific or quantitative degree background; completed statistical/applied mathematical research; proficiency in Python, C++, Java or R
Quantitative Researcher, Early Career Chicago; New York Up to 3 years of professional experience, or BS/MS students expecting graduation in 2026 or 2027; relevant scientific degree route; Python and quantitative research/problem-solving skills
Quantitative Researcher, PhD Chicago; New York PhD/postdoctoral route in a scientific discipline; mathematical and analytical strength; Python or C++; research and data-intensive experience are listed as advantages
Quantitative Researcher, Intern — Summer 2027 Chicago; London Active BS/MS/PhD student; graduation between Fall 2027 and Summer 2028; Python, quantitative analysis and research experience
Software Engineer, Intern — Summer 2027 Chicago Active BS/MS/PhD student with the same Fall 2027–Summer 2028 graduation window; Python and/or C++; algorithms, systems and computer architecture
Software Engineer, Production Platform Chicago At least 4 years of professional software development; technical degree or equivalent practical experience; strong Python, familiarity with Java/C++, distributed systems and deployment pipelines
Systems Engineer Chicago At least 10 years in systems/infrastructure or a related discipline; deep Linux/Unix, research/HPC grids, bare-metal infrastructure, parallel storage and automation

Competitions and previous trading experience are advantages in several research adverts, not universal requirements or substitutes for the required skills.

Some application forms offer more location choices than the vacancy’s title lists. Use the advertised role location as your starting point and ask recruiting about any discrepancy. In particular, the research internship explicitly limits its locations to Chicago and London.

Aquatic salary: the employer’s published base ranges

Specific full-time postings disclose base salary. These are advertised ranges, not observed median salaries, accepted offers or total compensation.

Role Published base band Location/currency boundary
Experienced Quantitative Researcher $150,000–$300,000 Multicity advert covering Chicago, New York and London; it gives a dollar range without a separate London GBP band
Early Career Quantitative Researcher $150,000–$200,000 Chicago/New York advert
PhD Quantitative Researcher $150,000–$200,000 Chicago/New York advert
Production Platform Software Engineer $150,000–$300,000 Chicago advert
Systems Engineer $150,000–$300,000 Chicago advert
Research intern / software intern No salary band stated on the reviewed pages Do not derive an internship rate from a full-time range

The full-time adverts describe possible additional compensation, including a discretionary bonus. They do not disclose a typical bonus amount. The experienced-research advert’s dollar range should not be relabelled as a confirmed London salary, converted into an implied GBP offer, or generalized to every employee.

When discussing an offer, separate base, guaranteed versus discretionary bonus, payment timing and relocation terms. Ask for the office-specific package and currency. An application question about your total compensation expectations does not disclose the employer’s expected total pay.

Quant research, machine learning and engineering: choose the work

Choose the problem you want to own. Research owns evidence for a forecast or strategy; production engineering owns its path into reliable live systems; infrastructure engineering owns the computing environment. Prepare for the advertised responsibility.

Direction What to demonstrate in your own work A weak substitute
Quantitative research A defensible hypothesis, data timing, baseline, validation and a clear interpretation of failures A profitable chart without a reproducible method
Machine learning within research Why a model improves on a simpler baseline, how preprocessing avoids leakage and where predictions degrade Naming a fashionable architecture without an experiment
Production platform engineering Reproducible builds, controlled deployment, observability and recovery under failure A script that succeeds once on its author’s laptop
Infrastructure/research computing Resource scheduling, storage/compute diagnosis, capacity trade-offs and reliable operation A cloud certificate without evidence of operating systems

No separate Machine Learning Engineer opening was listed in the reviewed board. The experienced research advert includes statistical and machine learning models; that is evidence of research responsibilities rather than a new job title.

The production role emphasizes releases, rollback, orchestration and monitoring. The systems role explicitly mentions Slurm/Ray, hybrid on-prem/cloud computing, GPU workloads and storage. Those details can guide a relevant conversation; they do not reveal the firm’s complete technology stack.

Build one research project that a reviewer can challenge

This is an independent preparation exercise based on the skills the research adverts request. Choose a manageable dataset and question. The goal is to make every important decision inspectable.

  1. Specify the question and timing. Write what you predict, the horizon and exactly when each input becomes available. For a daily-return study, distinguish a value observed after the close from a signal you could have acted on before that close. Document missing values, revisions and the universe selection.
  2. Create a baseline before a complex model. Use a simple forecast or regularized linear model suited to the question. Keep the dataset, target and evaluation periods identical when comparing a more complex model. An improvement should survive a fair comparison, not a change in the experiment’s conditions.
  3. Freeze a chronological evaluation design. Keep a final period untouched while choosing transformations and hyperparameters on earlier data. Fit preprocessing on the training period only. If labels use future observations, prevent those observations from crossing the boundary into the training set. Log every variant you try.
  4. Report prediction quality and economic assumptions separately. Show the metric relevant to your target and how it varies across periods. If you add a simulated trading layer, state when positions change, how exposure is constrained and which costs you assume. A forecast score is not a tradable net return. A synthetic exercise is not evidence of live profitability.
  5. Investigate a failure deliberately. Compare results by period, group or volatility environment. Try a delayed input, a missing-data case or a higher assumed cost. Explain whether the weakness comes from the signal, the data, the evaluation or the implementation. Preserve an unfavorable result instead of quietly removing it.
  6. Package the study for reproduction. Include a README, environment requirements, data instructions, deterministic entry point, tests for critical transformations and a brief discussing the conclusion and limitations. Respect data licences and keep private employer work out of a public repository.

For ML, add an ablation table: baseline; additional features; more complex model; each tested under the same split. Explain whether gains justify extra training cost and maintenance. A carefully explained thesis or replication can supply comparable evidence for early-career or PhD applicants.

Prepare engineering evidence around reliability and measurement

A student exercise and a senior application need different evidence.

For software engineering interns, a small data-processing service can show algorithms, interfaces and testing. Define behavior for duplicated, delayed and malformed records. Measure throughput and memory on a fixed workload. Test correctness before optimizing, then document one measured improvement and its trade-off.

For production platform applicants, demonstrate an immutable build artifact and a controlled release path. Add configuration validation, a health check, logs and metrics, and a rollback procedure. Inject a failure such as a broken dependency or an interrupted deployment; record whether detection and recovery work. Explain how another engineer can operate the system after you leave.

For systems applicants, use real experience where you have it: cluster scheduling, storage bottlenecks, Linux debugging or capacity planning. Explain the workload, symptoms, measurements, competing explanations and outcome. A small local demonstration may support the discussion, but it cannot stand in for the systems advert’s ten-year experience requirement.

Across these directions, report measured changes with hardware, input size and test conditions. A successful benchmark alone does not establish production reliability.

Before applying: practical checks and useful recruiter questions

Confirm the posting’s degree/experience category and location, and save its requirements with the date. A useful CV project bullet states the question or system, your contribution, the method and a result with its limitation.

The reviewed forms ask for a GitHub username and a public SSH key added to that account. Several explicitly say this is required to advance in the process. Read the instructions on your chosen application; a public key is different from a private key. They also ask about employment authorization and sponsorship needs. A question about sponsorship is not a guarantee that sponsorship will be offered.

Ask recruiting about the interview format for your exact role, permitted coding languages, project discussion expectations, office arrangements and timeline. For research, useful later questions concern how ideas are reviewed and how researchers collaborate with engineering. For engineering, ask about ownership, incident responsibilities and how platform improvements are measured.

Aquatic’s official board lists recruiting@aquatic.com for experienced professionals and campusrecruiting@aquatic.com for students. The public material reviewed does not establish a universal number of rounds, required take-home exercise, question bank or response deadline. Prepare the relevant skills and verify the actual process with the employer.

A focused preparation schedule and next steps

Use this schedule to audit existing work and identify gaps; adapt the pace to your starting point.

Stage Research direction Engineering direction
Days 1–2 Choose one posting; audit a project’s data and target timing Choose one posting; define a workload and failure behavior
Days 3–5 Reproduce the baseline and freeze the evaluation split Reproduce correctness tests and performance measurements
Days 6–9 Compare one justified extension and analyze a failure Improve one bottleneck or recovery path and repeat measurements
Days 10–14 Write the research brief; explain alternatives and limitations aloud Write the operating notes; explain trade-offs and failures aloud

If the audit exposes a foundational gap, slow down and study it. The QuantSteps research path helps organize statistical and programming foundations. Regression diagnostics provides further model-assumption practice with Pro access; these are independent learning resources, not an Aquatic curriculum or hiring assessment.

The free Returns & risk lab offers a smaller starting point: synthetic prices, return calculations, compounding, drawdowns and a written brief. Apply through Aquatic’s official channel when your eligibility and evidence match the advertised opportunity.

Frequently asked questions

What does Aquatic Capital Management do?

Aquatic is a quantitative investment manager that publicly describes systematic strategies supported by research, engineering and risk management. Its public pages do not disclose a complete list of traded strategies, proprietary models or holding periods.

Where are Aquatic’s offices, and are jobs available in all three?

The official website lists Chicago, New York and London. Availability varies by role: the experienced researcher advert includes all three; early-career and PhD research include Chicago/New York; Summer 2027 research interns include Chicago/London; the reviewed engineering adverts list Chicago.

How much does Aquatic Capital Management pay?

Reviewed full-time postings publish $150,000–$200,000 base for early-career and PhD research, and $150,000–$300,000 for experienced research, production-platform software and systems engineering. Bonus amounts are not disclosed. The multicity research advert does not separately publish London GBP pay; internship salary bands were not stated.

Does Aquatic recruit students for Summer 2027?

Yes. The official board showed quantitative research internships in Chicago/London and software engineering internships in Chicago when checked on 3 October 2026. Both postings specify active BS/MS/PhD students graduating between Fall 2027 and Summer 2028. Recheck the board for availability.

Is a PhD required for every quantitative researcher role?

No. Aquatic publishes a separate PhD role, an early-career BS/MS route and an experienced researcher advert accepting several degree levels. Degree category, professional experience and technical requirements differ, so choose the posting that fits your background.

Is there a separate Aquatic Machine Learning Engineer opening?

No separate opening with that title appeared in the seven-role board reviewed on 3 October 2026. Machine learning is mentioned in research and infrastructure responsibilities. Search the live official board before treating a third-party title as an available vacancy.

How many employees and how much AUM does Aquatic report?

The Form ADV amendment filed 30 June 2026 reports 91 employees under its stated definition, including 67 performing investment advisory functions, and $5,430,350,270 of discretionary regulatory AUM across four accounts. These are dated adviser disclosures, not a live global headcount or a 13F portfolio value.

What is Aquatic’s interview process?

No universal interview sequence is published in the reviewed pages. Several forms require a GitHub username/public SSH key to advance. Ask recruiting about your role’s format and timeline; this guide’s project exercises are independent suggestions.

Sources and verification

Checked October 3, 2026. Each note identifies the source’s purpose and limitations. Open employer pages for current vacancies and use research papers with their own dates, datasets and assumptions.

  1. Aquatic — official company website

    Company identity, founder biography, investment description and office addresses; checked 3 October 2026.

  2. Aquatic — official legal disclosures

    US/UK entities and regulatory identifiers; checked 3 October 2026.

  3. Aquatic Capital Management — official Greenhouse careers board

    Seven-role snapshot and recruiting contacts; checked 3 October 2026. Availability may change.

  4. Quantitative Researcher — experienced

    Official responsibilities, 4+ years requirement, locations, dollar base range and application instructions; checked 3 October 2026.

  5. Quantitative Researcher — Early Career

    Degree/experience eligibility, Python, US locations and base range; checked 3 October 2026.

  6. Quantitative Researcher — PhD

    PhD/postdoctoral route, research skills, US locations and base range; checked 3 October 2026.

  7. Quantitative Researcher — Intern, Summer 2027

    Chicago/London internship and Fall 2027–Summer 2028 graduation window; no salary band stated when checked 3 October 2026.

  8. Software Engineer — Intern, Summer 2027

    Chicago internship, graduation window, programming/systems requirements and application form; checked 3 October 2026.

  9. Software Engineer — Production Platform

    Chicago platform responsibilities, experience, advertised base and application instructions; checked 3 October 2026.

  10. Systems Engineer

    Chicago senior infrastructure role, 10+ years requirement, named computing tools and advertised base; checked 3 October 2026.

  11. Aquatic Capital Management LLC — SEC Form ADV

    30 June 2026 amendment; pages 8 and 10 visually verified for Item 5 employee definitions and regulatory AUM. Retrieved 3 October 2026; the URL may later serve a newer filing.

  12. Aquatic Capital Management LLC — IAPD profile

    Official gateway to the adviser’s current regulatory record; CRD 307291.

  13. Aquatic Capital Management LLC — Bloomberg LEI record

    Legal entity identifier 254900UR7SBBO719N031 and legal creation date; checked 3 October 2026.