Graduate Data Scientist
Amsterdam
Can you solve this puzzle?
An ant leaves its anthill in order to forage for food. It moves with the speed of 10cm per second, but it doesn't know where to go, therefore every second it moves randomly 10cm directly north, south, east or west with equal probability.
- If the food is located on east-west lines 20cm to the north and 20cm to the south, as well as on north-south lines 20cm to the east and 20cm to the west from the anthill, how long will it take the ant to reach it on average?
- What is the average time the ant will reach food if it is located only on a diagonal line passing through (10cm, 0cm) and (0cm, 10cm) points?
- Can you write a program that comes up with an estimate of average time to find food for any closed boundary around the anthill? What would be the answer if food is located outside an defined by ( (x – 2.5cm) / 30cm )2 + ( (y – 2.5cm) / 40cm )2 < 1 in coordinate system where the anthill is located at (x = 0cm, y = 0cm)? Provide us with a solution rounded to the nearest integer.
Was that easy to solve? If you enjoy mathematical challenges and writing computer programs, you could be instrumental in the success of Optiver's dynamic trading floor as our next Quantitative Researcher. With your statistics knowledge and top-tier analytical abilities, you’ll create the insights, reports and proposals that drive impactful new trading strategies. Get ready to collaborate with world-class Traders and Software Engineers from more than 50 countries to improve financial markets across the globe. This is your chance to demonstrate how valuable research and data are to the future of electronic trading.
What you'll do
How does Optiver accurately price hundreds of thousands of interconnected financial products in real-time? In one word: data. Data science is at the very core of Optiver’s pricing strategies. Our Data Science teams tackle fascinating challenges that exist at the intersection of technology and trading – a space with some of the most complex and exciting volumes of financial market data. With world-class skills that can cut through the noise, Optiver's Data Science teams directly impact the precision and scalability of our 35+ year trading business.
Optiver's Data Scientists collaborate with Data Analysts, Data Engineers, Quantitative Researchers and Traders to perform in-depth data analysis. They sit on our buzzing Trading floor – the heartbeat of the business – to share their market insights with our Traders, Quantitative Researchers and Developers. As a Data Scientist, your observations and recommendations will be highly valued, and trusted to inform crucial trading decisions, including identifying new trading opportunities. This makes you a key player in our market activities, whose impact can be felt in real time.
WHO WE ARE:
Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global market maker. As one of the oldest market making institutions, we are a trusted partner of 50+ exchanges across the globe. Our mission is to constantly improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and acting as a stabilising force no matter the market conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we participate in the safeguarding of healthy and efficient markets for everyone who participates.
Our Amsterdam office is where it all began. Over 35 years ago, Optiver’s business started with a single trader on the floor of Amsterdam’s European Stock Exchange. Since our 1986 founding, Optiver’s Amsterdam office has grown into one of the most dynamic and exciting trading floors in Europe. Our culture reflects the Dutch capital city’s progressive, innovative and inclusive nature. With its unique spirit, Amsterdam is the ideal hub for our teams to trade a wide range of products from listed derivatives to cash equities, ETFs, bonds and foreign exchange.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
Data Scientists at Optiver apply their statistics and analytics skills to develop and improve our trading strategies. It’s a fascinating role that requires strong a coding background and problem-solving skills.
Your typical day could involve any number of challenging assignments. Perhaps you’ll work on predictive analytics using historical data. Maybe you’ll statistically evaluate our trading strategies and systems together with developers and traders. You may also find yourself unlocking a new trading business alongside traders and engineers. You could of course be writing robust and scalable code to prototype sophisticated pricing and hedging logics. You can expect to:
- Create and streamline data pipelines to extract, transform and load data streams from various sources into our SQL data warehouse
- Build Python-based data analysis and visualization tools that monitor and optimise our trading strategies
- Work closely with our trading team to improve our trading results using data-driven insights
- Develop and test your market hypotheses
WHO YOU ARE:
The feedback loop for this team is immediate, therefore we look for dynamic and highly ambitious people who seek to constantly innovate, challenge the status quo and want to work alongside some of the most talented and intelligent people in the business.
In terms of skills and qualifications, we're looking for:
- Excellent data analysis, scientific and critical thinking skills, as well as an eye for detail
- A decent level of Python development ability, experience with scientific Python stack (e.g. Pandas, Numpy and SciPy) is highly desirable
- Outstanding communication skills to collaborate with multiple stakeholder groups, challenge thinking and obtain buy-in
- The ability to present complex ideas with data to expedite decision making
- A focus on pragmatic outcomes, and the ability to prioritise effectively
- A strong interest in the world of trading, however no experience in the financial industry required
WHAT YOU'LL GET:
- The chance to start your career working alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries.
Alongside this you will get great secondary benefits such as 25 paid vacation days, fully paid first-class commuting expenses, training opportunities, discounts on health insurance, breakfast and lunch facilities, sports and leisure activities, Friday afternoon drinks and even weekly in-house chair massages. Being highly international, we are accustomed to guiding expats through their relocation, offering competitive relocation packages and providing visa sponsorship where necessary.
HOW TO APPLY:
Are you interested in furthering your career on one of the most dynamic and exciting trading floors in Europe?
Apply directly via the form below for the position of Data Scientist. Please provide us with a CV, a solution to all three puzzle questions highlighting in bold your final answers and a letter of motivation in English. Applications without an answer to the puzzle and a letter of motivation will not be reviewed.
The full puzzle solution is to be uploaded in the same document as the cover letter and submitted as a pdf.
When we think there is a potential match, you will hear from us sooner than you expect. If you have any questions feel free to contact our Recruitment team at [email protected] Please note, we cannot accept applications via email for data protection reasons.
Please note, if you are selected from your application to proceed to the next round for the position of Data Scientist, you will be required to take an online assessment.
Kindly note that we do not require any assistance from third-parties including agencies in the recruitment of this role.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT:
As an intentionally flat organisation, we believe that great ideas and impact can come from everyone. We are passionate about empowering individuals and creating diverse teams that thrive. Every person at Optiver should feel included, valued and respected, because we believe our best work is done together.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is hardwired through every stage of our hiring process. We encourage applications from candidates from any and all backgrounds, and we welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities.
More information on how Optiver Europe processes your personal data can be found in our Privacy Policy.
Important note: Within a week of submitting your application you will receive an online assessment, if eligible. You will have a short timeframe to complete the assessment. By submitting your application you are confirming that you will be able to take the assessment within 5 days
*We accept one application per role, per year. If you have applied to this role across any of our offices in the last year and have been unsuccessful, you can reapply once your 12 month cooling period has concluded.