As a Trading Automation and Operations Intern, you'll work on our trading floor enhancing fully systematic trading strategies and solving operational challenges that directly support our core market-making business. Over ten weeks, you'll build automation, investigate real production issues, and improve our trading strategies, systems, and workflows. You'll take ownership of real business problems with the support of experienced teammates and mentors, while deepening your understanding of financial markets and market making. Like teams across Optiver, you’ll use AI to accelerate how you investigate problems, build solutions, and learn, while applying your own judgment to decide what works.
What you’ll do:
- Develop a deep understanding of financial markets, market making, and the systems that support our trading business.
- Build tools, automated workflows, and data pipelines that traders rely on daily.
- Improve systems and workflows by identifying opportunities to simplify manual processes and reduce operational friction.
- Use AI-native workflows to investigate problems, analyze information, and develop solutions while applying your own judgment to evaluate results.
- Collaborate closely with traders, researchers, and engineers to understand problems from multiple perspectives and deliver practical solutions.
- Take ownership of a project from problem definition through implementation, with guidance and feedback from an experienced mentor.
What you’ll get:
- The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries.
- The opportunity to earn a return internship or full-time offer in Chicago, Austin, New York City, or Amsterdam based on performance.
- A highly competitive internship compensation package.
- Optiver-covered flights, living accommodations, and commuting stipends.
- Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch, snacks, regular social events, clubs, sporting leagues, and more.
Who you are:
- Working toward a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD in a STEM field
- Junior or higher standing with a graduation date of Winter 2027 or Spring 2028
- Proficiency with a programming language, preferably Python
- Possess superior analytical, quantitative and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communicator and team player
- Able to work in an accurate and structured way
- Driven to constantly improve and optimize
- Able to work under pressure and muti-task
- 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:
Optiver is a leading technology- and research-driven trading firm. Our teams of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and traders work side by side to develop, test, and scale ideas that shape how we understand and trade global markets. Powered by a global platform built for rapid experimentation and iteration, we combine the scientific rigor of a research institution with the pace of a technology company.
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.
We accept one application per role per year. If you have previously applied to this position during this season and have been unsuccessful, you can reapply once the next recruitment season begins in 2027.
Below is the expected compensation for this position. This is a good-faith estimate of the base pay scale and sign-on bonus 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 the benefits listed above.
Skills Required
- Working toward a bachelor's, master's, or PhD in a STEM field
- Junior or higher standing with graduation date Winter 2027 or Spring 2028
- Proficiency with a programming language (preferably Python)
- Superior analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills
- Able to work accurately, in a structured way, under pressure, and multi-task
- Driven to constantly improve and optimize processes
- Legal authorization to work in the U.S.; no visa sponsorship provided
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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