Business & Finance
Financial Quantitative Analysts
Also called: Investment Portfolio Control Consultant, Investment Strategist, Portfolio Manager, Quantitative Analyst
US median pay
$81,100
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+4.1%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
9,400
137,800 employed
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
Develop quantitative techniques to inform securities investing, equities investing, pricing, or valuation of financial instruments. Develop mathematical or statistical models for risk management, asset optimization, pricing, or relative value analysis.
What they do day to day
- Apply mathematical or statistical techniques to address practical issues in finance, such as derivative valuation, securities trading, risk management, or financial market regulation.
- Research or develop analytical tools to address issues such as portfolio construction or optimization, performance measurement, attribution, profit and loss measurement, or pricing models.
- Interpret results of financial analysis procedures.
- Develop core analytical capabilities or model libraries, using advanced statistical, quantitative, or econometric techniques.
- Define or recommend model specifications or data collection methods.
- Produce written summary reports of financial research results.
- Maintain or modify all financial analytic models in use.
- Provide application or analytical support to researchers or traders on issues such as valuations or data.
- Devise or apply independent models or tools to help verify results of analytical systems.
- Collaborate in the development or testing of new analytical software to ensure compliance with user requirements, specifications, or scope.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Systems Evaluation3.2/5
- Systems Analysis3.2/5
- Persuasion3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Instructing3.0/5
Knowledge
- Mathematics4.6/5
- Economics and Accounting4.2/5
- Computers and Electronics3.7/5
- English Language3.0/5
- Engineering and Technology2.7/5
- Design2.1/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Bachelor's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Master's degree60%
- Bachelor's degree35%
Who this job suits
Mostly Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Enterprising
Leading, persuading and starting things
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.