Citadel SRE path to front office

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Sep 2, 2020 10 Comments

If I am interested in front office and eventually moving to the investment side, what should I do if I join as a back office SRE?

I have several years of finance-related experience, am working towards a CFA charter and looking for a shot at trading or portfolio management.

How can I work in front office at Citadel without quant background? I know some other funds have front office “quant devs” that work with trading systems and tooling alongside actual quants.

Also, aside from LC and sys design, what are the aspects specific to SRE interviews?

Can SRE TC reach 450? I checked Levels FYI and glassdoor, and the numbers are lower than the ones thrown around on this app. What are the comp differences between tech side and investment side?

Current TC 180
2-3 yoe in SWE

#tech #sre #sreinterview #comp #hedgefund

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TOP 10 Comments
  • It's going to be difficult moving from back office SRE to quant dev let alone moving to the quant side.
    For the most part, you're going to be too busy handling existing work to try and make that jump.
    Best way to get in the investment side would be to get experience elsewhere first
    Sep 3, 2020 1
    • New
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      OP
      Thanks for the insight. I did apply to buy side investment associate at some big bank recently but got rejected, probably because of non-traditional background. Can’t imagine being a sell side analyst alongside fresh grads, so I’d just put this to the backburner and figure it out when I finish the CFA
      Sep 3, 2020
  • New
    hGY84a

    New

    hGY84a
    On hedge fund side? CFA is useless. They'd rather take fresh investment banking or MBA grads.

    On securities? You pretty much need a PhD for quant and at least masters in math/stats for trading.
    Sep 2, 2020 0
  • New
    finmarket

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    finmarket
    Lol at the folks bitter about the CFA-
    It is OKAY you couldn't cut it in the exams.
    No matter what part of finance you go into- the charter will be a feather in the cap and bring attention to your credentials no matter what
    Sep 3, 2020 2
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      OP
      Thanks for your support. I do get affected from time to time when people hate on CFA. But I think it’s worth it, and I’m doing it as a challenge for myself
      Sep 3, 2020
    • Citadel / Other
      idiosync

      Go to company page Citadel Other

      BIO
      Tech at a Chicago based hedge fund
      idiosync
      100%, anyone hating on the CFA has no clue about what a hedge fund does.
      Sep 3, 2020
  • Citadel / Other
    idiosync

    Go to company page Citadel Other

    BIO
    Tech at a Chicago based hedge fund
    idiosync
    Not that hard if you aren’t afraid to get out of your bubble. Once you start tell HR about 1 month in that your goal is to kill it and then move into front office in 2 years. Ensure them that you are happy with your current job though. Then proceed to kill it, display ownership and technology prowess. Reach out to managers in front office and tell them your plan as you move forward with your caree and be chatty in cross business slack channels so people recognize your name. Be bold. If you get an offer and really want this, DM me when you start and I can help you out.

    EDIT: Wait do you mean as a front office investment professional or front office software engineer?
    Sep 3, 2020 1
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      OP
      Thanks for the encouragement. I am looking to move into investment side, as I had wanted to do that for some time. Maybe the logical next step from backoffice SE would be frontoffice SE, and that would be a good outcome as well. It’s just my dream to be a portfolio manager or trader. Not sure if I would actually like to do it once I’m doing it, but at least I should try to find out.
      Sep 3, 2020
  • Amazon
    uQJM31

    Go to company page Amazon

    uQJM31
    Fixed comp for investment analyst in citadel is $150k. Bonus can be 0 to $1 million+ in a good year. You and your team can also be fired with a market dip.
    Sep 2, 2020 1
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      HFs seem pretty reluctant to disclose bonus, not sure if it’s because it’s arbitrary or what other reason there is
      Sep 3, 2020