Careers

Role and responsibilities

The Client Operations function encompasses a range of activities, including portfolio accounting and asset transfers. These “back office” activities require some understanding of basic accounting concepts, ability to do simple manipulations of numbers, and ability to interact with counterparties at other firms. But their daily execution does not require extraordinary talent, nor does the nature of the function – noticed only in the event of errors – attract or reward such talent. Rather, these back office functions are typically backwaters of mediocrity, characterized by limited innovation and use of additional bodies to expand capacity.

Our business requires an entirely different approach. Because we process large volumes of small transactions, and charge our clients very low fees, we cannot afford the cost of additional manual processors. Further, because portfolio accounting drives key elements of our investment process, flawless execution is much more important for us than for other firms.

We seek a Vice President, Client Operations to lead the automation of as much of these processes as is feasible, working closely with our Technology team in evaluating vendors of existing software and managing its integration, as well as in defining and testing software we must build ourselves. The Vice President will also define the manual tasks that remain so as to maximize efficiency and minimize the risk of error. To do this, the Vice President must be capable of (and enjoy) diving into the nitty-gritty of each component task – but also be able to generalize from specific tasks, observed errors, and missing inputs to design systematized processes. The Vice President must also be a strong manager, responsible for building a like-minded team, inculcating a culture of flawless performance and continuous improvement, and devising business metrics by which to measure and reward success.

Requirements

• Exceptional leadership and organizational skills
• Proven change agent, problem solver and communicator
• Demonstrated record of success in operations management and/or process engineering
• Desire (and comfort) to work in a fast-paced start-up

MBA or engineering degree is strongly preferred, but not required.

Contact: careers@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

The focus of the Client Analysis function is to create a detailed understanding of a prospective client’s portfolio and support the transition of these clients to our service. Responsibilities include: converting paper statements into electronic format, analyzing current portfolio composition, and working with our Financial Engineering group to produce a codified mapping of those securities that are not part of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The candidate should have some understanding of basic portfolio accounting concepts and the ability to do manipulations of numbers.

At many firms, the daily execution of this function is normally characterized by limited innovation and use of additional bodies to expand capacity. Mistakes are commonplace.

Our business requires an entirely different approach. Because we analyze and advise on all holdings for our prospects, we cannot afford the cost of additional manual processors. Further, because we provide comprehensive, tailored investment solutions, complete and accurate understanding of a clients’ portfolio is critical to our service delivery.

We seek a Director, Client Analysis to simultaneously tackle these manual tasks and lead the automation of these processes, working with third-party vendors in multiple geographical locations. The Director will also define the manual tasks that remain so as to maximize efficiency and minimize the risk of error. The candidate we seek will be characterized by both a passion for perfection and for strategic process optimization. Strong interpersonal skills are also critical, as the Director will both be working closely with external vendors and our technology team.

Required Attributes

We do not require prior experience or training in financial services (we can provide this). We do require extraordinary talent. By this we mean:

• Exceptional intelligence and drive for perfection
• Demonstrated success in business process optimization through innovation and outsourcing
• Experience leading systems implementation
• Strong written and spoken communication skills
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with engineers
• Keen analytic thinking, ability to break down complex processes into simple discrete parts
• Desire to work in a fast-paced start-up

Contact: careers@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

We seek outstanding talent to join our core analytics team. Financial engineering sits at the nexus of how we add value to clients: translating financial theory into advice and implementation logic that can be automated through technology.

For advice generation, the Financial Engineering team defines modules of our Monte Carlo simulator, which enables clients to evaluate alternative investment and spending strategies under millions of stochastic outcomes. We model real-world circumstances more accurately than any service today – including the evolution of interest rates, asset class return distributions, uncertain employment cash flows, differential timing and applicability of tax rates, marginal economic value of assets, and longevity of consumption.

For implementation, the Financial Engineering team defines systematized logic for how we execute client strategies in the marketplace. Specific tasks include processes for devising tailored global equities portfolios, trading fixed income and futures instruments, and optimizing cash holdings. The team specifies the logic and works to automate 100% of our execution.

Requirements

We seek thought and people leaders for our elite team. Successful candidates will:

• Be motivated by solving the most challenging real-world financial problems
• Be passionate about solving complex problems methodically within a systematic framework
• Have experience developing detailed financial specifications and requirements documents
• Possess exemplary quantitative skills and knowledge of financial theory
• Embrace tenets of efficient market theory and portfolio diversification
• Possess outstanding verbal and written communication skills
• Have a Bachelors/Masters/Ph.D. in Finance, Financial Engineering, or related fields
• 7-10 years work experience
• Experience managing high-performing teams a plus
• Have a desire for enormous ownership and impact in a fast-paced start-up

Contact: careers@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

We seek an outstanding full-time developer to join our core engineering team as we automate every aspect of our business. Our developers own all phases of their projects – from program design and specification through development, testing and maintenance – to implement cutting-edge, large-scale models that drive our core offerings. These models are used to simulate and statistically score alternative investment strategies under a wide range of potential futures, given each client’s unique parameters.

Further, the developer will be critical to automating the execution of those strategies. We are integrating systems on a scale never done before in our industry: linking solutions with an array of enterprise-class third party systems, exchanges in over 40 countries, large-scale commercial data feeds, database back-ends and web-driven front-ends.

The developer must have an exceptional command of formalized development processes. The ability to abstract and simplify complex concepts and interrelationships, facilitating intelligent computational representation, is critical. Financial knowledge is not required – we will provide this – but the candidate should possess a strong background in algorithms, data structures, and mathematics.

Requirements

• BA/BS in Computer Science or related field.
• Experience implementing large-scale projects in Java, C, or C++.
• Desire for enormous ownership and impact in a young, fast-paced start-up.
• Proven track record of meeting deadlines and delivering projects on time.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Preferred skills

• Knowledge of database design and SQL.
• Experience developing programs leveraging vendor APIs/SDKs using examples for reference.
• Knowledge of source revision control and unit testing systems.

Contact: careers-technology@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

We seek an outstanding full-time developer to focus on the web-based front-ends to our interconnected software systems. We are integrating systems on a scale never done before in our industry: linking internally developed solutions with an array of enterprise-class third party systems, exchanges in over 40 countries, large-scale commercial data feeds, and database back-ends.

We aim to deliver an elegant and intuitive user experience for our clients and internal users. Actively seeking out and exploring new solutions and platforms will be encouraged. The developer will help build our web presence from the ground up, making critical architectural and interface decisions. This includes contributing to the back-end design of the systems and working with our entire technology team. Expect to work in a rapid development environment where results are quickly visible.

Requirements

• Desire to have significant ownership over core interfaces of a new product
• 2+ years experience implementing web applications using technologies such as PHP, Tcl, Python, Perl and their derivatives
• Experience with JavaScript including AJAX, CSS and advanced HTML is optional but highly desirable
• BA/BS in Computer Science or related field
• Excellent communication skills

Preferred skills

• Working knowledge of SQL structures and programming
• Experience with Adobe Flash and/or Flex
• Knowledge of source revision control

Contact: careers-technology@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

We seek an outstanding full-time developer to focus on the web-based front-ends to our interconnected software systems. We are integrating systems on a scale never done before in our industry: linking internally developed solutions with an array of enterprise-class third party systems, exchanges in over 40 countries, large-scale commercial data feeds, and database back-ends.

We aim to deliver an elegant and intuitive user experience for our internal users and clients, who will eventually number in the hundreds of thousands. The developer will help build our web presence from the ground up, making critical interface decisions. Actively seeking out and exploring new solutions and platforms will be encouraged. This includes contributing to the user interface design of the systems and working with our entire technology team. Expect to work in a rapid development environment where results are quickly visible.

Requirements

• Desire to have significant ownership over core interfaces of a new product
• 2+ years experience implementing web applications using technologies such as CSS, JavaScript including AJAX, advanced HTML and their derivatives
• Experience with image editing tools such as Photoshop, Fireworks and related tools
• Excellent communication skills
• Active portfolio of website design

• Experience with Adobe Flash and/or Flex
• Knowledge of source revision control

Contact: careers-technology@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

We seek an outstanding Product Manager to help drive the translation of business requirements into specifications for our core engineering team. This person will also match engineering output with business vision and play a pivotal leadership role in coordinating constituents across our entire company. Key areas of ownership include:

• Ensuring the quality and precision of business requirements and serving as the key liaison between business and engineering.
• Collaborating with numerous business owners.
• Creating detailed technical requirements for core internal and external products.
• Working closely with senior management to help establish a company wide process to turn business ideas into software systems.

Product Management is a new function for our business so this position has the opportunity to build a department from the ground up.

Requirements

Rather than focus on one product exclusively, the ideal candidate must have the desire to drive many projects simultaneously and foster two-way communication between multiple business owners and engineers. The precise nature of our business also requires strong technical knowledge and a desire to dive deep. At the same time, the Product Manager must understand the high-level direction of the company and help align priorities with it. Other key requirements include:

• Experience in software product management and detailed knowledge of world-class software development processes.
• Drive for perfection.
• Keen analytic thinking and ability to break down complex processes into simple discrete parts.
• Desire for enormous ownership and impact in a young, fast-paced start-up.
• Ideally, a BA/BS in Computer Science or related field
• Ideally, some experience with financial services or investment products

Contact: careers@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

We seek an outstanding Software Developer in Test to design and develop automated tests of our wealth management software systems. These systems integrate our custom advice/trading engine, enterprise-class third party platforms, exchanges in over 40 countries, large-scale commercial data feeds, database back-ends and web-driven front-ends. You will test and critique software components and interfaces in great technical depth, write test programs to assure high product quality, and develop advanced test tools to increase productivity and efficiency.

The nature of our business and software systems is ideal for programmatic software testing solutions. The developer must have an exceptional command of formalized development processes. The ability to abstract and simplify complex concepts and interrelationships is critical.

Core responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain programmatic test cases based upon software specifications and system architecture designs.
• Participate in requirements and design review to ensure testability of system software components.
• Review plans and results of outsourced testing activity for completeness and compliance with the overall product, or project, quality plan.
• Develop automated functional and regression tests for our web application, backend systems, and data feeds.
• Design and implement automated testing infrastructure and tools to detect and report defects.
• Promote automated testing best practices.

Requirements

• Genuine enjoyment of software testing, problem solving, and quality assurance work.
• Exceptions to these requirements will be considered based on exemplary skills, training, and proven record of success.
• Desire for enormous ownership and impact in a young, fast-paced start-up.
• Experience with designing and implementing automated software tests.
• Experience with Java, TestNG, DBUnit, JUnit, Selenium, and/or related technologies.
• Exceptional critical thinking and problem solving skills.
• Strong relational database knowledge and experience writing SQL scripts
• Professional, positive attitude, strong work ethic, great communication skills, and ability to work as a team.
• Functional domain knowledge of one or more of the following areas: investing, trading, accounting systems.
• Proficiency using UNIX/Linux command line tools.
• Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering or related field.

Contact: careers-technology@structuralwealth.com

San Francisco, CA

Role

We are looking for a results-oriented individual with strong analytical and problem solving skills who works well under pressure with minimal supervision. The individual will be responsible for developing test requirements, test plans, and test cases for our enterprise investment applications. These systems integrate our custom advice/trading engine, enterprise-class third party platforms, exchanges in over 40 countries, large-scale commercial data feeds, database back-ends and web-driven front-ends.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain comprehensive test scripts based upon software specifications and system architecture designs.
• Participate in requirements and design review to ensure testability of system software components
• Plan, develop, and execute system and regression level testing scenarios.
• Review plans and results of outsourced testing activity for completeness and compliance with the overall product, or project, quality plan.
• Responsible for following through and making sure defects are reported and escalated appropriately.
• Create and maintain test data sets for use by test scripts.

Requirements

• Genuine enjoyment of software testing, problem solving, and quality assurance work.
• Exceptions to these requirements will be considered based on exemplary skills, training, and proven record of success.
• Minimum 3 years of software testing experience including test planning, designing and execution.
• Strong analytical skills in assessing user, functional, and technical requirements and identifying high risk and critical test areas.
• Expertise in quality assurance and software development processes and methodologies.
• Proficiency using SQL to perform database verification testing.
• Experience working with large and complex data sets within a relational database.
• Functional domain knowledge of one or more of the following areas: investing, trading, accounting systems.
• Professional, positive attitude, strong work ethic, great communication skills, and ability to work as a team.
• Experience with UNIX/Linux command line tools.
• Ability to multitask and thrive in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering or related field.

Contact: careers-technology@structuralwealth.com

Role

We seek an outstanding Build Release Engineer to lead our Release Engineering function. This person will design and manage our software configuration management system, build/deploy processes, and test/production environments. The ideal candidate will have experience coordinating and deploying application updates to mission critical enterprise systems. These systems integrate our custom advice/trading engine, enterprise-class third party platforms, exchanges in over 40 countries, large-scale commercial data feeds, database back-ends and web-driven front-ends. The developer must have an exceptional command of formalized release management processes. The ability to trouble shoot and solve problems is critical.

Core responsibilities

• Develop and document configuration management and deployment strategy.
• Design, implement, and maintain software configuration / release scripts and processes.
• Manage, configure, and maintain Dev, Test, and Production servers.
• Schedule and manage releases to Dev, Test and Production environments.
• Troubleshoot and resolve build, deployment and SCM problems.
• Automate release management processes.
• Ensure the integrity of each release and confirm its proper configuration.

Requirements

• Genuine enjoyment of automation, configuration management, and deployment practices.
• Expertise branching, merging, tagging, and managing the release of production applications.
• Desire for enormous ownership and impact in a young, fast-paced start-up.
• Proficiency using Software Configuration Management tools (Subversion preferred).
• Proficiency with UNIX, Linux, and Windows environments.
• Java programming experience and knowledge.
• Proficiency with Maven, Ant and/or related technologies.
• Exceptional critical thinking and problem solving skills.
• Relational database knowledge and experience writing SQL scripts.
• Professional, positive attitude, strong work ethic, great communication skills, and ability to work as a team.
• Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering or related field.

Contact: careers-technology@structuralwealth.com

Role and responsibilities

We seek an outstanding Senior Systems Administrator who will be a primary contributor to the deployment and maintenance of the distributed system infrastructure underlying our production platform. Responsibilities are varied and require a mix of systematic thinking and on-the-ground execution, including:

• Managing mission-critical heterogeneous networks and systems – both internal and client-facing – using cutting edge technology and industry best practices
• Implementing enterprise-class virtualization with blade servers and shared network storage to facilitate rapid deployment of systems, minimization of management time and maximization of service availability
• Scaling infrastructure from in-house development platforms to production and hot-site deployments
• Partnering with premier software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers such as Amazon to deploy fault-tolerant and geographically dispersed systems
• Maintaining server and storage hardware infrastructure in co-location facilities
• Architecting and implementing disaster recovery and backup/restore procedures

Required skills/experience

• BA/BS in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field
• Linux (Red Hat/CentOS preferred), Apache
• Scripting language(s) such as shell (bash, ksh), Perl or Python
• Working knowledge of TCP/IP stack, protocols (DNS, LDAP), and troubleshooting tools (e.g., tcpdump, netcat, dig/nslookup)
• Excellent oral and written communication; comfort collaborating closely with team members and adhering to established policies and procedures
• Excellent time management skills; proven track record of meeting deadlines and delivering projects on time

Preferred skills

• Virtualization using enterprise-class products such as VMware ESX, Xen or Virtual Iron in highly-available configurations
• Comfort with GNU/Linux software, Linux package management and update/upgrade experience
• Management of SAN, NAS and x86-based hardware
• Experience with SAN and NAS protocols such as iSCSI and NFS
• Performance tuning and capacity planning in a rapid-growth environment
• Windows Server 2003 administration

Contact: careers-technology@structuralwealth.com