IMC Trading

PhD Sourcing Specialist

Posted 8 Hours Ago

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Chicago, IL, USA

Hybrid

Mid level

Fintech • Machine Learning • Software • Financial Services

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

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

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The Company

HQ: Amsterdam

1,954 Employees

Year Founded: 1989

What We Do

IMC is a global trading firm powered by a cutting-edge research environment and a world-class technology backbone. Since 1989, we’ve been a stabilizing force in financial markets, providing essential liquidity upon which market participants depend. Across our offices in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, and India, our talented quant researchers, engineers, traders, and business operations professionals are united by our uniquely collaborative, high-performance culture, and our commitment to giving back. From entering dynamic new markets to embracing disruptive technologies, and from developing an innovative research environment to diversifying our trading strategies, we dare to continuously innovate and collaborate to succeed.

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.