Data Scientist, Equity Research
Summary
Build quantitative models and ML pipelines to power equity research, turning financial data into research-grade signals and insights for analysts and clients.
- Design, build, and maintain quantitative models and machine learning pipelines that support equity research, stock screening, and investment analytics
- Partner with equity research analysts to translate research methodologies (valuation, financial statement analysis, earnings quality, sector-specific frameworks) into scalable, data-driven models
- Source, clean, and engineer features from structured and unstructured financial data, including fundamentals, market data, earnings transcripts, and alternative data sets
- Develop and validate predictive models (e.g., earnings forecasts, factor models, risk scoring) and communicate results to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Build and maintain data pipelines and automated workflows for ongoing model refresh and monitoring
- Collaborate with software engineering teams to productionize models within CFRA's research and analytics applications
- Perform exploratory data analysis to identify new signals, themes, or anomalies relevant to equity research
- Document methodologies, assumptions, and model limitations to institutional research standards
- Stay current on developments in quantitative finance, NLP for financial text, and machine learning techniques applicable to investment research
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in a quantitative field such as Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Financial Engineering, Economics, or related discipline
- 3+ years of experience as a data scientist, quantitative analyst, or similar role, ideally within financial services, asset management, or equity research
- CFA charter, or active progress through the CFA Program (Level II/III candidates strongly considered), with practical experience in equity research, valuation, or investment analysis
- Strong proficiency in Python for data science (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn; exposure to PyTorch/TensorFlow a plus)
- Solid grounding in statistics and machine learning techniques: regression, classification, time-series analysis, and factor/risk modeling
- Proficient in SQL and working with large financial datasets from relational databases and data warehouses
- Experience with financial statement analysis, equity valuation methods (DCF, comparables, precedent transactions), and market data sources (e.g., Capital IQ, FactSet, Bloomberg)
- Experience with NLP techniques applied to financial text (earnings call transcripts, filings, news) is a plus
- Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and version control (Git)
- Excellent analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex quantitative concepts to research and business stakeholders
- Strong attention to detail and a rigorous, hypothesis-driven approach to analysis
- Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced research environment
- Prior experience at a sell-side or buy-side research firm, credit rating agency, or independent research provider
- Exposure to alternative data sources (satellite, web-scraped, transaction data) for investment research
- Familiarity with backtesting frameworks and portfolio construction concepts
- 21 days of Vacation
- 8 Sick Days
- 1 paid volunteer day
- 11 - 13 Holidays a year
- Health Insurance
- Company paid Life & Disability Insurance
- Competitive Pay
- Annual Performance Bonus