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Optiver

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4.5
  • #1 in Trading
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Optiver Graduate Programs & Internships

  • Trading

What we do: Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm & leading global market maker

No. of employees: Almost 2,000 colleagues globally

The good bits: Smart colleagues, flat structure, collaborative and inclusive environment

Hiring interns across all backgrounds, including Maths, Engineering, Science, Software Development, Actuarial Studies, Finance, Machine Learning and more.

Our Story

Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global market maker. With close to 2,000 employees in office locations around the world, we’re united in our commitment to improve financial markets, making them more transparent and efficient for all participants.

The Culture

Our best work is done together

At the heart of our collaborative and inclusive culture is our drive to continuously improve. We support and challenge each other to be our best every day, working collectively to solve the most complex and challenging problems.

A place where your ideas thrive

Our high-performance environment means you’ll be surrounded by colleagues with the same passion for problem solving, while our intentionally flat structure encourages curiosity and freedom of thought. Regardless of your role, you’re given significant responsibility early on, and empowered to challenge conventions, right from the start.

Potential over expertise

We look for the strongest academic minds, who are insatiably curious and motivated to succeed. No prior industry knowledge is required as we recruit problem solvers from all degrees, including Mathematics, Actuarial, Computer Science, Physics, Engineering or even Philosophy.

Our Perks

We believe that great ideas and impact can come from everyone. As an intentionally flat organisation, we’re focused on creating an environment where every person is supported to build, innovate and thrive.

  • Daily breakfast and lunch are provided by our in-house chefs
  • Fresh fruit, healthy snacks and vegan/vegetarian options for every meal
  • Onsite barista
  • Gym memberships for staff to help stay fit and active
  • Onsite shower facilities
  • Weekly meditation and mindfulness sessions
  • Weekly in-chair massages for all staff
  • Plenty of teams and clubs to get involved in, from soccer, and basketball to cycling teams, and even rock climbing!
  • Health challenges for charities, such as City2Surf and more
  • An internal library - a quiet area, full of resources available to all staff

Creating meaningful impact

  • We have volunteer days for all staff, allowing our people to dedicate their time to the things they care for.
  • We support Indigenous artists through the Artbank program.
  • Each day, leftover food is donated to OzHarvest, ensuring it goes to those in need.
  • We hold a Charity Vote every year, giving $20K donations to three charities voted for by our staff.
  • We support the Movember campaign, which means a lot of furry lips (and fitness folks) during November.
  • We promote blood donation drives, and fitness and wellness events.
  • We have regular in-house trading sessions to raise money for nominated charities and causes.
  • We donate books, toys and gifts to the Smith Family Christmas Appeal, and allow staff to give their Christmas gift to a charity of their choice.
  • We're continuously adopting new initiatives to improve our impact on the planet, including sustainable coffee cups, selecting vendors with impeccable environmental credentials, and reducing our single-use plastics.
  • We encourage staff to cycle to work, providing bike storage and free bike servicing services to reduce environmental impact and traffic on the roads.
  • Our offices are in a 6-star green-rated building, and we work with Ecosave to monitor and optimise our environmental impact.

Recruitment Process

Optiver aim to keep the process as smooth and simple as possible to help you be at your best during the process. Here are the steps you can expect as part of your application and interview process:

  1. Submit application
  2. Complete online assessments
  3. Behavioural Zoom interview
  4. Technical and behavioural interviews
  5. Congrats, you’ll receive an offer!

Remuneration & Career Growth

Led by ex-traders and engineers, our renowned in-house education programs will equip you with practical skills, invaluable knowledge and the technical tools to set you up for success.

With our support, mentorship and world-class training, there’s no limit to how quickly you can accelerate your career at Optiver.

Internship program

Gain 10 to 12 weeks of exponential growth through our hands-on training program. From theoretical lectures on trading fundamentals, to collaborating on technical projects that contribute towards our
trading success, challenge your skills and make a tangible impact on the financial markets.

By the end of summer, our goal is to have identified future Optiverians who'll rejoin our world-class teams in the Graduate program. 

Graduate Program

Through a combination of lectures, simulation training and direct project experience, our full-time training courses will empower you with the skills needed to excel in our fast-paced environment. You’ll get to own critical projects and work alongside talented peers to
solve complex and challenging problems every day.

Global Academy

Kickstart the first four weeks of your trader training in Amsterdam, alongside global peers. Our global training program, the Optiver Academy, is designed to introduce all new trading-related graduates to the fast-paced world of market making.

FutureFocus Program

From shadowing a trader to exploring the impact you could make as an engineer in the world of trading, our insight program introduces pre-penultimate students to the complex problems that we solve everyday. Plus, top performers will be fast-tracked in the application
process for Optiver’s internship program. 

Applications open mid-year. 

Graduate Reviews

Overall Score
4.5
Overall score based on 15 reviews
They Score Best in…
8.9
Satisfaction
8.8
Recruitment
9.5
Salary
8.9
Training
8.9
Satisfaction
8.8
Recruitment
9.5
Salary
8.9
Training
What Graduates Say About Them
  • Collaborating with very smart and friendly people on tricky but interesting problems
  • Excellent pay and perks. Good culture, friendly colleagues and reasonable work life balance. Excellent opportunities to take ownership of products and responsibility, even for new grads.
  • Very tight knit grad cohort makes for a good work environment.
  • The people - everyone is really smart, really interesting, and really driven. Coming to work feels kind of like when I started going to university with the number of different ideas floating around. The responsibility - Optiver is kind of like a massive start up in that everyone gets the chance to take responsibility for large areas and can progress quickly.
  • The work is continually interesting, the perks are amazing, and there is a good culture around work hours and succeeding
  • Great perks: built in breakfast, lunch and coffee. Awesome games room with pool, Nintendo switch and table tennis. Free gym membership and massages on Wednesday. People are friendly and smart, and you learn a lot on the job. You never feel board with what you're doing, as the problems are challenging and interesting. Managers are great, they value one on one meetings, and helping employees improve. The annual company trip is awesome.
  • Can be more stressful / pressure than other places
  • Fast paced environment isn't for everyone. You need to stay on top of your projects' requirements and stakeholders at all times.
  • There will be a lot to learn, you will feel like a complete beginner in most areas of the business. You may question your knowledge/ability because everyone is talented.
  • Trading is a stressful job. This comes both from the markets and the high performance nature of everyone at Optiver but I wouldn't trade it in for another job.
  • The amount of work is constant, and you have to be fairly self directed from the get go
  • There is always challenging work, there's no time to slack off!

Jobs & Opportunities

Locations With Jobs & Opportunities
  • Sydney
Hiring candidates with qualifications in
B
Business & Management
C
Creative Arts
E
Engineering & Mathematics
H
Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences
I
IT & Computer Science
L
Law, Legal Studies & Justice
M
Medical & Health Sciences
P
Property & Built Environment
S
Sciences
T
Teaching & Education
Current Jobs & Opportunities

Internship, Clerkship or Placement

39 Hunter Street Sydney, NSW 2000
Ready to accelerate your career in a collaborative and dynamic environment?
Applications Close
24 May 2024
Start Date
29 Nov 2024 - 21 Feb 2025
Salary
AUD 200,000 / Year

Package Pro-Rata inclusive of superannuation, flights and accommodation provided

Internship, Clerkship or Placement

39 Hunter Street Sydney, NSW 2000
Turn your passion for data and statistical modelling into a rewarding career in the financial markets.
Applications Close
24 May 2024
Start Date
29 Nov 2024 - 21 Feb 2025
Salary
AUD 200,000 / Year

Package Pro-Rata inclusive of superannuation, flights and accommodation provided


Graduate Success Stories


  • Graduate stories
Optiver stood out to me as a unique opportunity in high-frequency trading (HFT) with a hands-on, collaborative environment. My background in computer science provided a strong foundation, but Optiver's culture encourages continuous learning and growth.

Nicole Stallinger

  • Graduate stories
Optiver stood out to me as a unique opportunity in high-frequency trading (HFT) with a hands-on, collaborative environment. My background in computer science provided a strong foundation, but Optiver's culture encourages continuous learning and growth.

Nicole Stallinger

  • Graduate stories
Working on a wide range of interesting problems with smart people, in an informal and approachable environment.

Tim Cashman

  • Graduate stories
Working on a wide range of interesting problems with smart people, in an informal and approachable environment.

Tim Cashman

  • Graduate stories
Optiver stood out to me as a unique opportunity in high-frequency trading (HFT) with a hands-on, collaborative environment. My background in computer science provided a strong foundation, but Optiver's culture encourages continuous learning and growth.

Nicole Stallinger

  • Graduate stories
Optiver stood out to me as a unique opportunity in high-frequency trading (HFT) with a hands-on, collaborative environment. My background in computer science provided a strong foundation, but Optiver's culture encourages continuous learning and growth.

Nicole Stallinger

  • Graduate stories
Working on a wide range of interesting problems with smart people, in an informal and approachable environment.

Tim Cashman

  • Graduate stories
Working on a wide range of interesting problems with smart people, in an informal and approachable environment.

Tim Cashman


A Day In The Life Of


  • Day in the life

Wil Undy

Wil Undy completed BA/BSc History and Statistics at the University of Auckland in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Trader at Optiver.
  • Day in the life

Wil Undy

Wil Undy completed BA/BSc History and Statistics at the University of Auckland in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Trader at Optiver.
  • Day in the life

Vicky Su

Vicky Su studied Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Programming Minor at Queensland University of Technology in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Software Developer at Optiver.
  • Day in the life

Vicky Su

Vicky Su studied Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Programming Minor at Queensland University of Technology in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Software Developer at Optiver.
  • Day in the life

Wil Undy

Wil Undy completed BA/BSc History and Statistics at the University of Auckland in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Trader at Optiver.
  • Day in the life

Wil Undy

Wil Undy completed BA/BSc History and Statistics at the University of Auckland in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Trader at Optiver.
  • Day in the life

Vicky Su

Vicky Su studied Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Programming Minor at Queensland University of Technology in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Software Developer at Optiver.
  • Day in the life

Vicky Su

Vicky Su studied Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Programming Minor at Queensland University of Technology in 2018 and is now working as a Graduate Software Developer at Optiver.

Videos


Why start your trading journey at Optiver?

A common misconception is that you'll need to have experience in trading or financial markets to join Optiver's internship or graduate programs.

Meet Taylor, Graduate Software Developer

Discover some of the cool tech projects that you get to work on at Optiver.

Why start your trading journey at Optiver?

A common misconception is that you'll need to have experience in trading or financial markets to join Optiver's internship or graduate programs.

Meet Taylor, Graduate Software Developer

Discover some of the cool tech projects that you get to work on at Optiver.

Advice


How is the career opportunities for a graduate at Optiver?

Hear from Saira, recruitment lead at Optiver on what are the potential career path and growth possibilities for graduates at Optiver

How to answer difficult interview questions at Optiver?

Get expert insights on how to tackle difficult interview questions at Optiver. Prepare confidently for a successful interview

How is the career opportunities for a graduate at Optiver?

Hear from Saira, recruitment lead at Optiver on what are the potential career path and growth possibilities for graduates at Optiver

How to answer difficult interview questions at Optiver?

Get expert insights on how to tackle difficult interview questions at Optiver. Prepare confidently for a successful interview

Upcoming Events


  • Mar
  • 26
Optiver

Insights into Quantitative Research

Tue 26 Mar 2024, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Do you have a passion for modelling and data-driven statistical problem solving? Curious to discover how your skills in research and data can make a direct impact on financial markets around the world?