IED - Quantitative Trading Assistant - Analyst/Associate

Morgan Stanley • Salt Lake, UT

10d

About The Position

The Institutional Equity Division (IED) is a global leader in the origination, distribution and trading of equity, equity-linked and equity-derivative securities. The Firm’s equity Sales & Trading operations provide liquidity, distribute content, and create product solutions to help our clients generate alpha. The Exotic Trading desk provides pricing and liquidity for equity exotic derivative products for clients across both retail (banks, distributors etc.) and institutions (Hedge Funds, Pension Funds, Insurance Companies etc.). Mandate includes a wide range of products and covers anything non-vanilla (swaps, structured notes, barriers, basket options, QIS, etc.) in OTC and securitized form. Quantitative Trading Assistant Institutional Equity Division – Salt Lake City About the Division The Institutional Equity Division (IED) is a global leader in the origination, distribution, and trading of equity, equity-linked, and equity-derivative securities. Our Sales & Trading teams provide liquidity, deliver market insights, and design innovative solutions to help clients achieve superior performance. Role Overview We are seeking a Quantitative Trading Assistant to support front-office equity derivatives trading. This role is critical in ensuring the accuracy and robustness of our pricing and risk models in real time. You will work closely with traders and strategists to maintain market parameters, troubleshoot issues, and optimize workflows in a fast-paced environment. Position Description: - Assist in the execution and life cycle management of a variety of equity structured derivatives and exotic derivatives - Work closely with internal colleagues in trading, operations, and control functions - Manage operational queues and work to improve workflows to achieve a dual mandate of efficiency and accuracy

Requirements

• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to work under pressure.
• Strong technical aptitude with experience in model calibration frameworks and script-driven workflows.
• Critical thinking skills to diagnose, escalate, and resolve complex issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across multiple teams.
• Familiarity with equity derivatives concepts (vol surfaces, dividends, borrow curves, forward pricing, yield curves).
• Prior experience in a front-office or quant-adjacent support role within equities or derivatives.
• Mathematics: Linear algebra, multivariate regression, optimization techniques, PDEs, stochastic processes.
• Quantitative Finance: Option pricing (PDE, Monte Carlo), risk-neutral measures, volatility modeling.
• Programming: Proficiency in Python
• Extreme attention to detail
• Ability to multitask and work under pressure
• Critical thinking, ability to identify and solve weaknesses in existing workflows
• Desire and intention to climb a steep learning curve for expertise in the exotic product space
• Excellent communication skills and effectiveness working across teams

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to structured products, equity derivatives, or options market-making environments.
• Previous experience and good understanding of derivatives or equity products would be an advantage

Responsibilities

• Oversee real-time model calibration and market parameter maintenance.
• Monitor market data (volatility surfaces, dividends, borrow curves, yield curves) and resolve fit errors promptly.
• Troubleshoot exchange-related quote issues and ensure smooth trading operations.
• Validate new-name fits and manage corporate actions and basket compositions.
• Collaborate with traders, strats, and support teams to address live requests quickly and accurately.
• Assist in the execution and life cycle management of a variety of equity structured derivatives and exotic derivatives
• Work closely with internal colleagues in trading, operations, and control functions
• Manage operational queues and work to improve workflows to achieve a dual mandate of efficiency and accuracy

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees