Aspen
Search
An independent search practice for software engineers, research scientists and ML specialists joining trading firms and AI labs now.
Fewer searches, run properly. Every mandate is led end to end by a partner who knows the desk well.
Recent hires from:
About Aspen
Most of the people we represent are not looking. They are deep in a research cycle, shipping a system or leading a team, and they only move when the next seat is clearly better than the one they hold. Our job is to know which seats those are: how the desk is run, who owns the capital, what the tooling looks like, how decisions get made and whether the promises survive the first year.
We keep our roster small on purpose. Every search is led by a partner from the first call to the signed offer, every candidate hears the unvarnished version of the role, and every firm gets a shortlist it can actually hire from. It is slower than blasting a database, it asks more of everyone involved, and it is the reason our clients keep calling back.
500+
Placements completed
$1M-5M
Typical offer range
19+
Years spent on hiring desks
We work where research, engineering and capital meet. That means we can discuss Sharpe ratios, latency budgets and training runs with equal fluency, and tell you honestly which firms are building something worth joining and which ones are only hiring loudly.
01
01
Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research
For researchers who take an idea from hypothesis to live book. We map which teams are expanding, how their research stacks differ and what a competitive package looks like well before you sit your very first interview.
- Alpha research
- Risk and portfolio
- Futures and options
- Graduate and postdoc
02
02
Engineering & Infrastructure
Engineering & Infrastructure
For engineers who keep strategies running at scale: trading systems, market data and research platforms. Many arrive from big tech and want a candid view of what changes when latency turns directly into revenue.
- Systems programming
- Exchange connectivity
- Data platforms
- Developer tooling
03
03
AI & Machine Learning
AI & Machine Learning
For scientists and engineers weighing labs, start-ups and funds that now compete for the same profiles. We compare compute, data, ownership and upside so that the final decision rests on facts rather than on headlines.
- Applied machine learning
- Model research
- Inference systems
- First technical hires
04
04
Leadership & Team Builds
Leadership & Team Builds
Whole teams rather than isolated seats. Some mandates begin with a single lead and grow, over several years, into a group with its own platform and its own manager.
- Research leads
- Engineering managers
- Desk launches
- Long-range hiring plans
Who we work with
Clients
Most client relationships here are measured in years, not months. Some began with a single analyst hire and now ask us to staff entire engineering groups. We choose firms that invest in their people, publish real research, pay fairly at every level and treat recruiting as a long-term discipline, not a quarterly scramble to fill desks.
Who we work with
Halvorsen
01-06
Most client relationships here are measured in years, not months. Some began with a single analyst hire and now ask us to staff entire engineering groups. We choose firms that invest in their people, publish real research, pay fairly at every level and treat recruiting as a long-term discipline, not a quarterly scramble to fill desks.
Testimonials
01-09
Working with Owen changed how I approached the whole search. He knew which teams were genuinely growing, prepared me properly for every round and made sure the final offer reflected what I was actually worth. I would not run another search without him, and I have already sent two friends his way since joining my team.
Priya N.
Quantitative Researcher
Position
Quantitative Researcher
Company
Halvorsen
The partners on your search
Team
Small team. High Signal.
Every search is led personally by one of the partners below. No junior sourcing teams, no automated sequences, no hand-offs along the way: the person you meet on day one is the same person negotiating your final offer, then checking in afterwards.
Let's start a conversation