Index Options Volatility Trader

Our Index Options team chases edge in volatility valuation, detailed execution, and fast technology. We are making a big push in our ability to price vol and take risk, with the goal of growing into a leading volatility desk in the marketplace. We are a highly collaborative group of generalists and specialists. Together we strive to have deep expertise, ownership, and innovation in the topic areas that are important to winning in the Index Options space.

Your Core Responsibilities

Maximize revenue by identifying and monetizing short- and long-term mispricing, as well as managing the resulting positions

Monitor and react to volatility shifts, liquidity changes, and macro events

Take ownership of index options trading books across EU and/or US markets with a focus on opportunistic, high-risk/high-reward strategies

Deploy directional and volatility-based trades with strong conviction, backed by market intuition, quantitative signals and rigorous scenario analysis

Collaborate with quants and engineers to refine pricing models and volatility surfaces and to improve execution tools, automation and latency

Back test signals and validate new trading ideas

Provide feedback to enhance risk systems, scenario tools, and vol surfaces

Perform post-trade reviews to continuously improve execution and hedging

Be able to take lots of responsibility and ownership early in your time here to drive the strategy forward

Your skills and experience:

2+ years of Index Options Volatility trading experience

BS, MS, or PhD, preferably in business, economics, or STEM

You have an entrepreneurial mindset and a healthy appetite for risk

You have a proven ability to act and make decisions in a fast-paced and competitive environment

You are analytical, passionate about reflecting on past trades, and always seeking to do better

You have a deep understanding of fundamental drivers of volatility dynamics

Strong proficiency in Python

About Us

IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.