Engineering - Quant Research Development

About the role

Engineering at AQR India centers on transforming theoretical financial insights into robust, production-grade software solutions. The role involves owning the complete lifecycle of systems that translate research ideas into executable investment logic. You will be responsible for designing and maintaining the critical infrastructure that drives portfolio construction and execution. This position requires a deep commitment to code quality, system reliability, and performance under demanding financial workloads. You will partner with quants, researchers, and portfolio managers to ensure technology enables their strategic objectives. Your work will directly influence how investment hypotheses are tested, validated, and deployed in live market conditions. Success in this role is defined by the stability and efficiency of the platforms you build and maintain.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and develop cloud-native microservices that execute complex constrained optimization routines for portfolio construction.
• Implement high-performance, high-volume, and highly available systems that reliably generate orders based on research signals.
• Design and extend mission-critical platforms that ingest diverse research outputs and translate them into actionable portfolio implementations.
• Engineer bespoke technology solutions tailored to the specific requirements of different asset classes and evolving research hypotheses.
• Balance trade-offs between flexibility, performance, and maintainability when building foundational financial infrastructure.
• Collaborate closely with researchers, portfolio managers, and global engineering teams to deliver production-ready products.
• Integrate with observability and monitoring platforms such as New Relic to ensure system health and performance are transparent.
• Apply strong software design principles to build clean, testable, and maintainable codebases that stand the test of time.
• Profile and tune high-performance systems in production environments to meet stringent latency and throughput demands.
• Participate in architectural discussions that shape the long-term direction of core investment technology platforms.
• Ensure all implementations adhere to strict standards of reliability, security, and operational excellence.
• Support the deployment and maintenance of systems built on Java, Python, Elasticsearch, Redis, RabbitMQ or AMQ, and relational databases.
• Contribute to a culture of intellectual honesty, rigorous testing, and continuous improvement within the engineering organization.
• Enable the investment team by providing reliable tools that empower faster and more accurate decision-making.

Requirements

• Hold a degree in Computer Science or a closely related technical discipline from an accredited institution.
• Bring at least three years of professional programming experience with a strong emphasis on Java as a primary language.
• Demonstrate solid Python experience to facilitate research integration, scripting, and tooling support.
• Show strong software design ability to translate abstract concepts into high-quality, maintainable, and scalable code.
• Apply analytical thinking and problem-solving skills to dissect complex financial challenges and devise effective technical solutions.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with both technical engineers and non-technical business stakeholders.
• Exhibit a genuine interest in financial markets, investment products, and the broader investment decision-making process.
• Have hands-on experience operating microservice-based architectures and building distributed systems.
• Be proficient with core technologies such as Java, Elasticsearch, Redis, RabbitMQ or AMQ, PostgreSQL, and MS SQL Server.
• Adhere rigorously to engineering best practices including clean code, thorough peer reviews, and comprehensive automated testing.
• Maintain a strong commitment to test coverage and code quality standards across all development activities.
• Experience in tuning and profiling high-performance systems operating in demanding production environments.
• Familiarity with observability tools and monitoring platforms, with New Relic being a significant advantage.
• Thrive in a structured, team-oriented environment while also taking ownership of individual initiatives.
• Navigate ambiguity and lead change initiatives to overcome obstacles and ensure successful project delivery.
• Uphold intellectual integrity, transparency, and openness to new ideas in all collaborative efforts.
• Work hard in a fast-paced setting and remain curious to continuously learn and adapt to new challenges.
• Understand the importance of discipline and rigor in supporting long-term investment strategies.

Nice to have

• Prior experience contributing to financial systems that support research, portfolio construction, or execution workflows.
• Exposure to alternative investment strategies and the unique computational challenges they present.
• Background working with global investment firms where technology directly supports investment decisions.
• Familiarity with collaborative product delivery methodologies in cross-functional engineering teams.
• Any additional experience that aligns with AQR's focus on rigorous research and practical implementation.

Practical notes

• The technology stack for this role prominently features Java, Python, Elasticsearch, Redis, RabbitMQ / AMQ, PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, and New Relic.
• Employment is full-time based in Bengaluru.
• Compensation is structured as an annual package ranging from 18,00,000 to 24,00,000 INR.
• Please confirm all details and expectations on the official application page for the most current information.