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Our people

Where talent
meets opportunity

Five critical domains

At Optiver, each domain offers a new opportunity

Whether you’re seeking an internship, graduate or experienced role, our career opportunities are abundant. We work across five critical domains: trading, technology, risk & control, data science and business operations.

Domain
Cutting-edge
Technology
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Domain

Our business is driven by technology

Technology isn’t just a component of Optiver’s business – it powers everything we do.

We leverage technology to solve a variety of complex problems: optimising for scarce bandwidth, responding to market events in nanoseconds, pricing complex sets of financial instruments with low error tolerance and analysing huge volumes of data. Our systems are built to add stability to the market; therefore they must operate at peak efficiency in extreme conditions.

domain
Market-making
Trading
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domain

Trading is at the core of what we do

Optiver trades thousands of financial instruments on exchanges worldwide, using our own capital and at our own risk. As a market maker, we aim to improve the markets in which we trade by continuously offering the most competitive prices possible.

To be not only active but also precise, across all of these markets and products is a hugely complex challenge. We continuously refine and optimise our proprietary trading strategies and algorithms to price the thousands of instruments we trade. After all, the only constant in markets is change, and keeping up requires nimble, decisive thinkers — a pretty accurate description of an Optiver trader.

domain
Compliance-led
Control and risk management
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domain

Risk management is in our DNA

At Optiver, risk management and control are built into our financial and operational processes. Our dedicated team of Risk and Control professionals ensures we’re operating in accordance with local regulations, laws, market requirements and expectations. It’s one reason why we’re trusted to provide continuous prices for thousands of financial instruments on 70+ exchanges around the globe.

We focus on five core risk and control domains at Optiver – market risk, automated trading risk, operational risk management, compliance and control.

domain
Deep, quantitative
Data Science
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domain

Data scientists improve our trading strategies

How does Optiver continuously price hundreds of thousands of financial products in real-time? One word: Data.

Data Science is at the very core of Optiver’s pricing strategies. Our teams tackle challenges at the intersection of technology and trading – where some of the most complex and valuable financial market data resides. With world-class skills that cut through the noise, Optiver’s data science teams directly contribute to the precision and scalability of our trading business.

domain
People-led
Business operations
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domain

People shape the future of our firm

At Optiver, people are our greatest strength. That’s why we’re passionate about empowering them and championing inclusivity in everything that we do. From wide-ranging benefits to countless learning opportunities, we pride ourselves on enriching our people’s well-being and investing in their development.

OUR PEOPLE

Combining IQ and EQ

When solving some of the most complex financial challenges, we seek people with bright minds and humble mindsets.

DOVILE – AMSTERDAM

Software Engineer

Łukasz – AMSTERDAM

Trader

VICTORIA – Sydney

FPGA Developer

Daniel – Austin

Transparency is at the heart of Optiver’s culture – it allows for collaboration at every level to tackle difficult problems

TRADER
Our programs

Launch your career

Accelerate your future at Optiver.
Check out our internship and graduate programs.
Or become a campus ambassador.

Internships
Achieve exponential growth
Explore our internships
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Internships

Your chance to achieve exponential growth

Optiver’s internship programme isn’t just a step forward in your career – it’s a launch pad. Get ready to be immersed in the fast-paced, dynamic world of market making. Owning projects that directly impact our world-class trading systems. Entrusted to develop and execute live market strategies. Collaborating with and mentored by the industry’s best and brightest. Learn more in a few weeks than during the years studying for your degree. Not to mention having fun exploring the cities in which we operate alongside your class of global peers.

With Optiver’s internship programme, your work improving the market starts today.

Graduate program
Start your career at Optiver
Explore our graduate program
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Graduate and student program

Discover your future improving the market

Spend some time with the Optiver team, and a couple things become clear: there is no single path to a successful, lucrative career here, and there is no single major that’s best suited to it. Watch the videos below to meet some of our team members and hear about their journeys to Optiver. You might just see yourself in them.

Our roles

Explore our opportunities

All open roles

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OUR VALUES

What we look for at Optiver

Collaborative thinkers

While most of our people are competitive at heart, we still believe that our best work is done together. Our unique internal culture fosters an environment that not only accepts working together on projects but encourages it.

Continuous learners

At Optiver, continuous innovation is the name of the game. Whether it’s Trading, Technology, Compliance, Risk or Business Operations, our flexible career paths provide opportunities for our people to continuously improve upon and fine tune their skills.

Challenge seekers

The strategies and technology we deploy to keep the markets stable are deeply complex. Our people thrive on finding ways to do all of these things faster, smarter and more efficiently — every single day.

Entrepreneurial spirits

While we take measures to mitigate risk as a business, we encourage our people to step out of their comfort zones as often as they can. The sharing of ideas can come from any and everyone, and we take pride in our people feeling comfortable to openly do so to explore new opportunities and unlock new potential.

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ONBOARDING

Discover our interview process

Our interview process varies by role, but there are a few things they all share in common.

01

Application

Submit your job application and information on our website.

02

Assessments

Our assessments vary based on role, skill level and experience, and may include quantitative, cognitive or technical assessments.

03

Initial interviews

Candidates are invited for a conversation to assess skills, cultural fit and working style.

04

Final interviews and discussions

Candidates typically undergo a series of behavioral and technical interviews to further dive into how they think.

CULTURE

Life at Optiver

  • Life at Optiver

    Optiver and P33

    As a tech-driven market maker, Optiver seeks partnerships to help push technology forward and support the next generation of talent. Recently it partnered with P33, a non-profit organization dedicated to driving innovation and economic growth in the city of Chicago. The partnership aims to support and grow the local tech ecosystem in Chicago while creating […]

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    Americas
  • Life at Optiver

    Data Visualisation at Optiver: Streamlining trading decisions

    Data visualisation is at the core of effective decision-making in the fast-paced, data-driven world of trading. For Optiver’s traders to access the information they need right when it matters, it’s crucial to display data intuitively and meaningfully.In this blog post, we’ll take you behind the scenes of data visualisation at Optiver and explore how our […]

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    Global
  • Life at Optiver

    Inside Optiver’s 12-week training programme

    Meet Ophelia, an Execution Trader who joined Optiver after graduating from the University of Cambridge. Despite having no background in finance or trading, Ophelia was drawn to the fast-paced environment and the opportunity to utilise her quantitative skills. In this interview, she reflects on her experience in the Optiver Academy training programme, shares her favourite […]

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    EMEA, Global
  • Competition, News

    Ready Trader Go: An interview with 2021 finalist Guyon van Rooij

    Ready Trader Go, Optiver’s global coding competition, presents an excellent way for students to test their coding strength and dive headfirst into the world of algorithmic trading. On top of fine-tuning trading algorithms for Optiver’s simulated market exchange, RTG also provides a unique opportunity for students to join a competition that requires no previous knowledge of coding or trading in general – and provides a chance to win a monetary prize.

    Learn more
    EMEA, Global