Credit Automated Trading Strat / Desk Strat - Fixed Income - Vice President

Job Description

The Credit Automated Trading team builds the models, systems and AI-driven tools that underpin our highly successful automated trading business. This business covers a range of global products from corporate bonds and portfolio trades to fixed income ETFs and credit futures. We operate within a centralized risk book where traditional voice trading and our automated business sit together.

We are looking for a desk strategist to work closely with traders, other strats, and technology to transform our business. Your focus will be on improving how the desk operates and makes decisions. You will investigate sources of inefficiency and find better ways for traditional voice trading and modern automated trading to collaborate. You will have access to a set of leading AI tools to assist you in optimizing inefficient and dated workflows.

You will be an excellent communicator, able to build consensus and drive change while also responding to requests and developing solutions. You will be extremely curious and self-directed, willing to challenge the status quo and sharpen the desk’s edge. Success is measured by improvements in desk profitability, efficiency, and how trading decisions are made day-to-day.

Responsibilities

• Use modern analytical tools and LLMs to improve models, speed up development, and idea generation across the desk.
• Influence daily trading decisions and how algo signals are used through analysis of desk performance, profitability, market conditions, and risk.
• Develop and maintain desk and algo facing tools and reporting for P&L, market share, risk, client activity, and trading performance.
• Analyze competitive behavior, market structure, client flow, and trading trends to identify opportunities to improve desk performance and win share.
• Support the desk’s expansion into new products, venues, and markets.

Qualifications

• 3-7 years of experience in a strat role.
• Excellent communicator who can work effectively with traders, strats, and technologists.
• Master’s degree in quantitative discipline such as mathematics, statistics, engineering, computer science, economics, or a related field.
• Experience applying modern technologies, including AI, to real problems, with sound judgment on where they add value.
• Strong Python skills. Familiarity with Q/Kdb+, Scala or Java is beneficial.
• Good understanding of credit markets, bonds, ETFs and derivatives.
• Strong analytical foundation in statistics, data analysis, and problem solving. ML knowledge is preferred.
• Able to turn ambiguous business questions into structured analysis and actionable recommendations.
• Good sense of humor.

What You Can Expect From Morgan Stanley:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $225,000 - $250,000 for Vice President, at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.