Project Lead

Location: Chicago strongly preferred (hybrid/on-site with investment desk)

Model: Lead on-site; sub-leads may be near shore

Summary

The Project Lead will oversee the delivery of front-office investment technology initiatives, working directly with Portfolio Managers, Traders, Research Analysts, and Quant teams. This is a highly embedded role that bridges business strategy and technical execution. The ideal candidate brings strong knowledge of investment workflows, comfort with data-driven and AI-enhanced research environments, and the ability to drive rapid, iterative development cycles.

This role requires a blend of product leadership, technical fluency, and execution discipline. Candidates must excel in ambiguous, fast-moving environments and be skilled at shaping structure while maintaining close alignment with on-desk stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of investment technology initiatives, including scoping, planning, prototyping, execution, and transition into a more formalized SDLC.
• Work directly with front-office stakeholders (Portfolio Management, Trading, Research, Quant) to understand business needs and translate them into actionable technical requirements.
• Assess existing prototypes and in-flight tools to determine feasibility, scalability, and required enhancements.
• Coordinate the work of Quant Developers, Data Engineers, and UI/UX resources, ensuring coherence across functional areas.
• Establish tight feedback loops with on-desk teams and drive rapid iteration cycles.
• Manage competing priorities and dependencies across internal teams, vendors, and offshore resources.
• Ensure deliverables produce measurable business value and strengthen investment workflow efficiency.
• Maintain clear communication channels and serve as a point of alignment between business leadership and technology teams.
• Operate within a lean, prototype-first delivery approach that matures into formalization as the platform evolves.
• Support the definition of governance, workflow documentation, and operating rhythms as the product stabilizes.

Requirements

• 8–12 years of experience leading technical initiatives within investment management, hedge funds, fintech, or financial markets.
• Strong understanding of asset management workflows, including research, trading, analytics, and portfolio construction.
• Experience coordinating quant, data, engineering, and design resources in a front-office-aligned environment.
• Familiarity with AI/ML-assisted research workflows, NLP, or analytics platforms is a plus.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with credibility across investment and technology teams.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, set direction, and deliver results in a fast-moving, iterative development environment.
• Proven ability to drive structure, clarify priorities, and mature a prototype-driven environment toward scalable execution.