Investments Risk Principal

SUMMARY

GCM's Investments Risk team is seeking an experienced professional to help shape investment and portfolio decisions across the firm's hedge fund activity, using quantitative risk analysis — including alpha decomposition, stress testing, and optimization — to inform manager evaluation, position sizing, and asset allocation. This person will build and apply the risk tools and analytics underlying that work, and will contribute to both internal risk oversight and external investor reporting.

You'd be joining an established Investments Risk team that has already built out the firm's core proprietary risk and attribution models, optimization frameworks, alpha analysis, and client reporting infrastructure. This isn't a build-from-scratch mandate, but there is genuine room to evolve, expand, and re-architect that infrastructure as the platform and strategies evolve.

Much of the work is well-defined, but not all of it; at times that means identifying problems worth solving on one's own initiative, and at other times it means addressing a problem that has been identified but lacks a clear roadmap for resolution. In both cases, the role carries real autonomy in how issues are approached, rather than simply executing against a predefined plan. This is an asset for someone with strong initiative and a self-starter mentality, and a poor fit for someone who prefers fully specified assignments.

As an onsite/hybrid employee, you are expected to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday.

RESPONSIBILITIES           

• Build and maintain quantitative risk models and analytics used to evaluate hedge fund investments — including factor and alpha decomposition, stress testing, and scenario analysis — working with large, structured datasets (e.g., SQL, data lake environments) and using Python and AI-assisted tools as appropriate.
• Contribute to risk and portfolio construction analysis to support manager evaluation and investment decisions.
• Monitor and interpret risk exposures, factor trends, and capital markets conditions relevant to specific hedge fund strategies.
• Partner with portfolio managers and Investment Committee on portfolio risk monitoring and construction decisions across GCM's hedge fund platform.
• Design and deliver risk and performance reporting for internal use and investor and client transparency requests, including polished presentation materials.
• Strong analytical insights and presentation skills may also create opportunities for direct investor engagement.

EDUCATION, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a quantitative field (Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics/Econometrics, Financial Engineering, or related), or equivalent technical experience or demonstrated quantitative aptitude.
• 3-7 years of experience in investment analysis, risk management, or asset allocation, ideally with exposure to hedge fund or absolute return strategies.
• Proficiency in Python and hands-on experience working with large structured datasets.
• This role requires strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical analysis into clear conclusions for investment committees and clients.
• Strong presentation skills — comfortable building and delivering polished materials in PowerPoint and other reporting formats.
• High degree of ownership and initiative, with the judgment to operate effectively where direction isn't always fully specified.
• Comfortable representing Investments Risk directly in interactions with other teams and senior stakeholders — this is not a role centered on working in isolation on models and code.

In terms of cultural fit, the successful candidate will be self-motivated and energized by working amongst a group of thoughtful, smart and successful colleagues. The candidate will enjoy being part of an organization focused on excellence and will be a naturally collaborative person who enjoys interacting with individuals at all levels. Additionally, the candidate will be a strong team player with a proactive approach and the ability to exercise discretion and judgment.

CHICAGO ANNUAL PAY RANGE 175000 - 215000 USD