APRIL 2014 M A R K E T U P DAT E FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY - USA
INTRODUCTION As part of our commitment to provide our clients and candidates with regular, up to date, industry specific market intelligence, we are delighted to present our Selby Jennings’ April Market Update for Financial Technology within the US.
SIGNIFIC ANT RECRUITMENT DEVELOPMENTS The need for Python programmers continues to grow within investment banking technology and the trend has shown no signs of slowing down. Subsequently, the need for this technology has spread across smaller pockets within the quantitative, algorithmic and high frequency trading space, leading top computer science programmes across the US to now consider teaching more courses in Python. This will ultimately improve the chances of students finding positions within the industry once they graduate.There has also been a huge increase in the hiring of Pre-Sales Engineers for Software Vendors and Financial Analytics firms who have found that budget cutbacks have left a higher need for third party vendor products, rather than hiring Developers/Engineers to create their own proprietary software.
HIGH GROWTH HIRING AREAS ACROSS MARKETS/ PRODUCTS Business Intelligence/Analytics; Big Data and Cloud Computing continue to be evolving areas of technology within the financial space. Along with Risk Technology, it was a fruitful area of hiring for most Investment Banking groups looking to stabilize long-term technology objectives across Global Markets.
GEOGRAPHIC AL HIRING TRENDS New York and Chicago continue to dominate the hiring drive across Financial technology in the US. However, there are now increasing needs in smaller cities such as Houston, Charlotte and San Francisco.
HIGH DEMAND SKILL SETS/ EXPERIENCE Candidates with Python programming experience were in high demand in Q1 2014.
ROLES IN HIGH DEMAND The following roles were in particularly high demand in Q1 2014; Python programmers, Pre-Sales Architects and Engineers; Big Data, Cloud, and candidates with Hadoop experience.
SENIORITY LEVELS IN HIGH DEMAND Most client/agency collaboration in Q1 has come at the AssociateVP level, given that senior hires are typically found through the client’s own advertising or internal referrals/network.
HIRING FOREC AST FOR THE MARKET IN Q2 2014 There has been a lot of attention around the detrimental and volatile nature of high frequency trading over recent months, and there have been subsequent client concerns around the knock on effects. However, the continued commitment to technology, as well as the lucrative upsides to HFT make the area a constant hotbed for exceptional programmers. There are a number of long-term Risk initiatives being employed within the Investment Banking space and subsequently hiring for
programmers in Risk will continue to grow given the need for it to become more automated.
JOB SEEKER ADVICE Programming/ Coding projects are becoming more and more used throughout the interview process and candidates, certainly those at the senior end, have found this approach to be somewhat elementary. However, the importance of establishing basic coding skills is paramount before proceeding to more high level discussion. Candidates should therefore be more prepared for the coding tests and realize the importance to do well in order to proceed to the next steps in the interview process.
ABOUT SELBY JENNINGS
Operating as part of Phaidon International, Selby Jennings is a multi-award winning global recruitment organisation focused on servicing the financial industry. By breaking down financial markets into individual niches and micro-specialisms, Selby Jennings powers a knowledge-led model, delivering global solutions into local markets. Every consultant is an expert in their field. Structuring our teams to mirror the demands of our clients and candidates, we identify, qualify and present the highest calibre candidates, as well as identifying the best market opportunities for leading finance professionals. From our offices in London, Singapore, New York and Zurich we recruit beyond international boundaries, proactively sourcing the best talent in the industry across both contract and permanent hires.
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