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IMC is a proprietary trading firm powered by research and technology.
The Role
Map and engage the PhD and postdoc research talent landscape for AI/ML, build academic relationships, run PhD-focused programs (fellowships, travel grants), source and pipeline candidates, and partner with recruiters and regional teams to deliver qualified research hires.
Summary Generated by Built In
As a PhD Sourcing Specialist, you will be focused on mapping the research talent landscape, building relationships with academics before they enter the job market, creating programs that strengthen IMC's presence in research communities, assessing candidates against our technical and cultural standards, and partnering with recruiters by delivering strong pipelines.
Your Core Responsibilities
Talent Landscape & Market Intelligence
Attraction & Community Building
Programs & Initiatives
Pipeline Development
Your Skills and Experience
Please note that immigration sponsorship is not offered for this specific opening.
Your Core Responsibilities
Talent Landscape & Market Intelligence
- Map the PhD and postdoc talent landscape across the technical disciplines relevant to IMC's business - understanding which programs, labs, and research communities are producing the talent that matters to us
- Track competitive hiring trends, fellowship programs, and academic community dynamics to keep IMC's strategy current and proactive
- Serve as an internal expert on the research talent market, regularly sharing insights with recruiting leadership and business stakeholders
Attraction & Community Building
- Develop and maintain relationships with faculty advisors, lab leads, and student researchers at target institutions - building IMC's presence and credibility in academic communities over time
- Represent IMC at key academic conferences and research events (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, and others) with a candidate-facing focus: building connections, identifying talent, and deepening relationships - not managing logistics
- Partner with our APAC and European recruiting teams on shared talent pools, ensuring a coordinated global approach to PhD-level attraction
Programs & Initiatives
- Own IMC's PhD-focused programs end-to-end: our PhD Fellowship, conference travel grants, and lab partnership initiatives - from strategy and design through execution and iteration
- Identify gaps in our current PhD engagement approach and develop new initiatives that strengthen our position with research communities
- Build and maintain a strong alumni and fellow network, cultivating ongoing relationships that generate referrals, advocacy, and re-engagement over time
Pipeline Development
- Source and pipeline PhD candidates across IMC's technical hiring areas, partnering with teams across the business as PhD recruitment continues to grow in scope and demand
- Develop and execute creative outreach strategies - direct engagement, conference follow-up, research community participation - to identify high-potential candidates at all career stages: PhD students, postdocs, and selectively, experienced researchers
- Hand off qualified, engaged candidates to recruiters with context, relationships, and momentum already built
Your Skills and Experience
- Bachelor's degree; 4-7 years of experience in university recruiting, talent strategy, research partnerships, or academic engagement programs, ideally within a technical, quantitative, or research-driven environment
- Strong understanding of AI/ML research ecosystems, leading research labs, academic conferences, and influential advisors
- Demonstrated ability to build authentic, long-term relationships within academic and research communities
- Experience identifying and engaging talent through channels such as arXiv, Hugging Face, GitHub, Discord, Twitter/X, and other research and developer communities
- Proven ability to develop and execute sourcing programs or strategic initiatives using data, feedback, and market insights
- Collaborative approach with experience partnering closely with recruiters, hiring managers, and regional stakeholders in fast-paced environments
- Strong communication, organizational, and stakeholder management skills, with a high degree of ownership and sound judgment
Please note that immigration sponsorship is not offered for this specific opening.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree
- 4-7 years experience in university recruiting, talent strategy, research partnerships, or academic engagement programs (ideally technical/quantitative environments)
- Strong understanding of AI/ML research ecosystems, leading research labs, academic conferences, and influential advisors
- Demonstrated ability to build authentic, long-term relationships within academic and research communities
- Experience identifying and engaging talent through arXiv, Hugging Face, GitHub, Discord, Twitter/X, and other research/developer communities
- Proven ability to develop and execute sourcing programs or strategic initiatives using data, feedback, and market insights
- Collaborative approach with experience partnering closely with recruiters, hiring managers, and regional stakeholders
- Strong communication, organizational, and stakeholder management skills, high degree of ownership and sound judgment
What the Team is Saying
Pierre
Software Developer
Andy
Head of Technology
Aline
Research Analyst
IMC
Aline
Research Analyst
Jim
Trading Desk Lead
Shubham
Software Engineer
Himanshu
Software engineer
Himanshu
Software engineer
IMC Trading
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The Company
What We Do
IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.
Why Work With Us
At IMC, the best ideas win, regardless of hierarchy. Graduates receive mentorship and make an impact from day one, while experienced hires get to shape their own path in a flexible, high-performance environment. We remove barriers so everyone can grow and help drive one of the world’s leading liquidity providers.
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