We are seeking a highly accomplished and strategically minded Investment Principal to join our investment team. You will bring extensive experience in private equity, mergers & acquisitions, or venture capital, with a particular focus on financial market infrastructure and digital assets. This role requires a deep understanding of the dynamics of trading ecosystems, a robust network of industry contacts, and a proven track record of executing complex transactions. You will be responsible for sourcing, leading, and managing investments across the full transaction lifecycle, primarily within the United States.
What you’ll do:
As an Investment Principal, your key responsibilities include:
- Independently identify, originate, and evaluate investment opportunities aligned with strategic sector priorities, including exchanges, post-trade services, trading platforms, market data providers, and digital asset infrastructure
- Lead all phases of the investment process, including commercial due diligence, financial modeling, transaction structuring, negotiation, and legal execution
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across the industry, including company founders, institutional investors, regulatory bodies, and other market participants
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to refine investment theses, assess strategic fit, and provide insights on evolving market trends and regulatory developments
- Represent the firm externally with professionalism and credibility in interactions with counterparties, advisors, and industry partners
What you’ll get:
You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem-solvers. Motivated by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, collectively tackling some of the toughest challenges in the financial markets.
In addition, you’ll receive:
- The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries
- Highly competitive compensation package including performance-based bonus structure
- 401(k) match up to 50%
- Comprehensive health, mental, dental, vision, disability, and life coverage
- 25 paid vacation days alongside market holidays
- Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and snacks, regular social events, clubs, sporting leagues and more
Who you are:
- A minimum of 8–10 years of relevant experience in private equity, M&A advisory, or venture capital, ideally with exposure to the financial technology and market infrastructure sectors
- Demonstrated success in sourcing, structuring, and executing high-impact and complex investment transactions
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to assess strategic value and competitive positioning in dynamic markets
- In-depth knowledge of financial market structure, trading technology, post-trade systems, and the regulatory environment
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and persuasively to senior stakeholders
- A proactive, self-directed approach with a high level of professional integrity and a commitment to excellence
- Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required; we will not sponsor individuals for employment authorization for this job opening
Who we are:
At Optiver, our mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and stabilizing the market no matter the conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we prioritize safeguarding the health and efficiency of the markets for all participants. As one of the largest market making institutions, we are a respected partner on 100+ exchanges across the globe.
Our differences are our edge. Optiver does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, or other legally protected characteristics.
Below is the expected base salary for this position. This is a good-faith estimate of the base pay scale for this position and offers will ultimately be determined based on experience, education, skill set, and performance in the interview process. This position will also be eligible for a discretionary bonus (if determined by Optiver) and Optiver’s benefits package with the benefits listed above.
Skills Required
- 8-10 years of experience in private equity, M&A advisory, or venture capital
- Proven track record of sourcing, structuring, and executing complex investment transactions
- Deep knowledge of financial market structure, trading technology, post-trade systems, and regulatory environment
- Experience leading commercial due diligence, financial modeling, transaction structuring, negotiation, and legal execution
- Strong network of industry contacts across exchanges, post-trade services, trading platforms, market data providers, and digital asset infrastructure
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with ability to engage senior stakeholders
- Legal authorization to work in the U.S.; employer will not sponsor work visas
Optiver Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Optiver and has not been reviewed or approved by Optiver.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Pay is considered highly competitive in trading, quantitative, and engineering paths, with performance-linked bonuses materially elevating total earnings for strong contributors. High performers are described as seeing outsized upside when firm and team results are strong.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is depicted as comprehensive, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, alongside HSA/FSA options and mental-health support. Some locations note unlimited therapy access through a partner platform.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — U.S. roles are often described as offering 25 days of paid vacation plus market holidays, alongside generous parental leave. This breadth of time off is highlighted as helping to offset a high-intensity environment.
Optiver Insights
What We Do
Optiver’s story began over 30 years ago, when we started business as a single trader on the floor of Amsterdam’s options exchange. Today, we are at the forefront of trading and technology as a leading global electronic market maker, focused on pricing, execution and risk management.
Why Work With Us
People at Optiver love challenges, welcome collaboration, and strive to be better tomorrow than they are today. Improving the market is an extraordinary challenge that requires a carefully crafted approach. Optiver provides a collaborative working environment to tackle these challenges. In fact, it is this way of working that sets us apart.
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