ETF Trend Trader (Remote, Funded) — Chicago, IL

An ETF trend trader at Maverick runs systematic trend-following positions on US ETFs - broad market (SPY, QQQ, IWM), sector ETFs (XLF, XLE, XLK, XLV, etc.), and selective thematic ETFs. The strategy is rule-based, position sizes are calculated, and discretion is limited to a small number of decisions per week.

Chicago, IL: Chicago is the global capital of derivatives trading. The CME, CBOE, and the cluster of prop firms in the West Loop - Citadel, DRW, Optiver, Jump, IMC, Belvedere - make this the city with the highest density of professional traders per capita anywhere outside Manhattan. The Central Time zone is a natural fit for trading US equities: an 8:30am open with a 3pm close gives a long afternoon and a manageable schedule.

What you'll trade: Liquid US-listed ETFs across broad market, sector, and thematic categories. Some traders extend into commodity ETFs (GLD, USO) and bond ETFs (TLT, IEF) for cross-asset trend exposure. We exclude leveraged and inverse ETFs from primary positions due to decay characteristics.

Risk framework: Trend-following has long, frustrating drawdowns followed by strong runs. Maverick traders in this role are sized so that a typical drawdown is survivable across a calendar year, and the firm's risk framework caps both per-position and portfolio-level loss limits. The strategy works on a 3-5 year timeline, not a 3-month one.

Why Maverick funds this role: Trend-following is one of the most studied and best-documented edges in markets. The retail problem is rarely the strategy - it's the discipline to follow it through drawdowns. Maverick funds traders who have already done the psychological work, with firm capital that lets them size properly.

Traders who can sit through 6+ months of choppy, low-return conditions without abandoning the strategy People who think in expectancy and Sharpe, not in win rate Candidates who have backtested their own trend systems and understand what 'live' results look like Traders with patience - this is one of the slower-rhythm roles at the firm