Applications now open for Career Kickstarter in Sydney.

This program is your exclusive pathway to join Optiver as a Graduate. We won’t be opening for separate Graduate roles in Sydney this year, so don’t miss your chance to apply!

Ready to step beyond the classroom and fast-track your path towards a career in the global markets?

Optiver’s Career Kickstarter program offers an inside look into the world of quantitative trading and the technology that powers it.

Across five days, you’ll move from theory to practice through interactive lectures, coding workshops, trading simulations, and tailored mentorship. You’ll build industry-ready skills, develop your technical knowledge and discover what it takes to thrive in our high-performing teams.

Plus, if you’ve excelled during the program, you could receive a full-time graduate offer.

This isn’t just a glimpse into the industry – it’s your chance to kickstart your career in technology, trading or research.

What you’ll experience

Hands-on learning

• Discover options theory: Learn the fundamentals of options trading, through interactive lectures that make complex concepts click.
• Strengthen your technical edge: Explore how technology and data drive smarter decisions, from building efficient low-latency systems to developing impactful new trading strategies.
• Sharpen your skills: From coding challenges to trading simulations, experience how theory turns into action, in real-world scenarios.
• Build your own trading algorithm: Gain hands-on experience developing, testing and optimising a trading strategy from scratch.

“The trading games were dynamic, fast-paced, and I loved seeing myself and the other participants improve throughout the week.”

Networking and culture

• Gain expert mentorship: Learn directly from a dedicated team of educators, consisting of current and former traders and developers.
• Build your network: Connect with talented peers, as well as Optiver traders, quantitative researchers, and developers at curated events.
• Experience Optiver’s culture: Immerse in our incredible culture and enjoy our benefits, including daily breakfast, lunch, coffee, and more.
• All expenses paid: Travel and accommodation is covered for interstate attendees, so you can focus on your program experience.