We’re looking for a 3D designer/manufacturer in Austin, TX.

Austin is home to Optiver’s main research, design and manufacturing facility for custom trading system hardware. We’re looking to expand our team with an engineer who can help with the 3D design, prototyping, manufacturing, assembly and testing of the systems we make. Experience with networking, computers, optics and programming are considered a major plus. 

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 70+ exchanges across the globe. Our mission is to constantly improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and acting as a stabilizing 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.

Based in ‘The Domain’ neighborhood, Optiver’s Austin office serves as the firm’s innovation nucleus, with a strong focus on quantitative research, software, and hardware engineering initiatives. With tech innovation an integral part of our core business, the booming city proved an ideal backdrop for our heavy investment into systems, infrastructure, machine learning, big data and computing R&D efforts. What’s more, with world-class music, food and art scenes, as well as countless scenic outdoor activities, the quality of life for Austin Optiverians is second to none.

What you’ll do

As an expert in mechanical design, you’ll be the go-to person for the physical parts of our systems. The following are core responsibilities:

• 3D design: You’ll be working with CAD software (we use Fusion 360 but are open to other tools) to design anything from rack mounted cases to mockups of final deployments. You’re the domain expert in 3D design and can help others as well.
• Prototyping: You’ll make designs to see how things fit in reality. We have SLA printing capabilities and are happy to expand our abilities to whatever you need.
• Manufacturing: If the volume or properties are beyond what we can do in house, you’ll outsource the work to outside firms. You’ll do the QA of the results and make sure that we hit production deadlines by managing timelines with externals.
• Assembly: Our systems consist of many different parts, from housings to electronics to optics. Together with the other engineers you’ll help to assemble and test the final products and make sure they get tested and shipped to the deployment locations.
• Deployment: Once built and tested, the systems we make go into production globally. Every situation and deployment is different and you’ll fly out once in a while to help with deploying or investigate the environment they’re deployed into such that we can improve on the design.

In between making designs we often have needs for engineers to help out in the following domains:

• Test & characterize hardware parts: We get externally made batches of hardware in such as PCBs, devices, or optics. These often need testing, characterization, configuration and assembly. This can be anything from a configuring a switch to probing a batch of custom PCBs for manufacturing defects.
• Lab testing: We have researchers from around the world working on devices in our test lab. You’ll help to design experiments and then realize the needed setups. This ranges from switch configuration or making custom optical components all the way to designing and executing these tests by yourself.

At the end of the day we make high performance trading systems and operate a large testing facility for such systems. So if you have the skills in relevant domains we have interesting challenges awaiting for you.

Who you are

• The key qualification for this role is 3D design and manufacturing experience, either from an education or through experience. This includes using CAD software (any package), 3D printing or CNC routing and using external vendors.
• Experience with designing and testing electronics, computer networking, optical network components or (Python) programming that’s a definite plus but not a requirement.
• We’re passionate about creative, but solid, engineering and are looking for likeminded people.

What you’ll get

• Work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries.
• Performance based bonus structure that is unmatched anywhere in the industry. We combine our profits across desks, teams and offices into a global profit pool fostering a truly collaborative environment to work in.
• Ownership over initiatives that directly solve business problems.  

Alongside this you will get great other benefits such as 25 paid vacation days and market holidays, fully paid health insurance, daily breakfast and lunch, training opportunities, 401(k) match up to 50% and charitable match opportunities, regular social events, and many more.