Manager Background Researcher Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

About the Role

We are hiring an Research Business Manager to serve as the operational and strategic core of Aquatic's research organization. This is a unique role that is responsible for ensuring that the R&D function operates with clarity, momentum, and purpose.

You will own the day-to-day operating rhythm of the research team: driving project delivery, managing cross-functional dependencies, and representing the research organization to the rest of the firm. You will work directly alongside researchers, engineers, and senior leadership to translate strategy into execution and to make sure the highest-impact work is always moving forward.

This is not a coordinator role. We are looking for someone who develops genuine domain expertise, holds people accountable, and over time becomes the operational authority the research team turns to.

Research Project Management & Delivery

• Own the operating rhythm of the R&D organization: progress tracking, research progress reviews, cross-team dependency management, and milestone accountability across the full research stack.
• Serve as the connective tissue between research leads, engineering, and infrastructure, ensuring blockers are surfaced, escalated, and resolved rather than sitting unaddressed.
• Drive delivery of high-priority research initiatives end-to-end, from coordinating rollouts (e.g., new tooling, data pipelines, deployment phases) to tracking outcomes against business goals.
• Maintain clear visibility into what every team is working on, where things stand, and what is at risk and communicate this proactively to leadership.

Vendor Management & Data Sourcing

• Manage relationships with external data vendors and research tool providers: lead due diligence, evaluate offerings against research needs, coordinate with internal stakeholders, and drive contracting and onboarding. 

Leadership Materials

• Prepare materials for internal leadership reviews: synthesize research initiatives, translate technical work into clear business narratives, and develop compelling presentations that communicate Aquatic's research strategy.

Strategic Operations & Domain Expertise

• Prioritize the initiatives most likely to produce the greatest improvement to PnL; push back on work that doesn't move the needle.
• Identify and drive process improvements across the research lifecycle: from how the team tracks progress to how results are evaluated and monetized.
• Think strategically about Aquatic's revenue model and how research investments connect to business outcomes; bring that lens to every prioritization conversation.

Required

• 5+ years of experience in project management, business operations, strategy, or a closely related function, ideally within a technology, research, or financial services organization.
• Demonstrated track record of driving complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives from ambiguity through delivery.
• Strong analytical and structured thinking skills; comfortable with data, synthesizing complex information, and connecting operational detail to business impact.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication: able to produce materials for senior leadership and to communicate clearly across technical and non-technical audiences.
• High organizational intelligence: you read the room, build trusted relationships, and navigate institutional dynamics without being told how.
• An instinct for ownership, you identify what needs to be done, pick it up, and drive it forward without waiting to be asked.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience working directly alongside researchers, data scientists, quantitative analysts, or engineers in a research-intensive environment.
• Familiarity with research workflows, data vendor ecosystems, or signals/quantitative research processes.
• Familiarity with coding (Python) and other modern analytical tools.
• Background in investment management, systematic trading, or a data-driven financial services organization.
• Experience managing vendor relationships end-to-end, including due diligence, evaluation frameworks, and ongoing performance management.
• Comfort developing basic technical familiarity, enough to understand what researchers are building, debug simple issues, and hold informed conversations with engineers.

The base salary for this role is anticipated to be between $150,000 and $300,000, which is based on information at the time of posting. This position may also be eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as a discretionary bonus, and benefits. Discretionary bonus can be a significant portion of total compensation. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their unique skills, qualifications and relevant experience.