2021/2022 Performance Research Intern

• Gain experience solving highly complex problems this summer
• No prior finance knowledge required
• $100K + super pro-rata, plus an abundance of perks and benefits
• Flights and accommodation provided if based outside of NSW
• 10-week internship over summer

What you'll work on

Performance Researchers utilise data science, reverse engineering and computing fundamentals to improve the success of our trading systems. You'll develop hypotheses about how to improve our competitive success and test them experimentally under real-world conditions and constraints. You'll join our highly interactive trader training program for two weeks, alongside Traders and Developers, to learn key financial and trading concepts. From there you'll take on a real research project, to improve our trading success.

There are many elements within a trading system, so we'll tailor your project to suit your existing skillsets and give you the opportunity to learn something new. You could be building tools to optimise our low-latency strategies, utilising custom built FPGA hardware, or analysing terabytes of systems and network capture data to process and discover hidden patterns.

What you'll learn

Thanks to our custom-built trading systems and pricing expertise, Optiver is at the forefront of quantitative trading. You will gain experience with low-latency trading strategies and how to optimise them for the most competitive markets in Asia. You'll develop an understanding of the technology that allows us to continually provide prices for a substantial number of financial products. You'll be included in a highly interactive training program alongside Traders, Software Developers and Researchers, learning the ins and outs of quantitative trading. You'll gain research experience, and you'll also see how your solutions impact our trading success.

Who you are

You are a creative, critical thinker. You're an inquisitive sceptic who, when told that something 'just is', starts to take it apart and understand why. You're excited to test yourself in one of the most competitive areas of the financial markets. In addition, you:

• Love getting into the details of problems and understand how to decompose big challenges into solvable pieces
• Are pragmatic and focused on outcomes
• Enjoy utilising technology, programming or maths in your daily life to solve problems
• Possess programming experience in any language (C, C++, Python, Basic, Java, etc.)

Much of the technical skillset for this role can be learnt. What we truly value is your aptitude, growth mindset, drive for success and passion for collaborative problem-solving.

Eligibility

• You study a highly quantitative or technically focused degree – Maths, Statistics, Physics, Elec / Mechatronic / Software Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science or similar.
• A penultimate or pre-penultimate year university student
• An Australian or New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or able to provide evidence of full working rights for the duration of the Internship

Who we are

Optiver. It's a combination of the Dutch words for 'trading' and 'options'. And that's what we do. We're a leader in Options trading (and other financial products) on the world's financial markets.

At Optiver, we do things a bit differently to most businesses. We operate without clients. We play by our own rules and maintain an informal culture to make sure it's fun. We skip the mindless meetings and get on with it. And we celebrate high performance, individual excellence and doing better every day. We take serious things very seriously – like chasing wins and embracing the challenges of the market. We collaborate to solve open-ended problems in the most competitive market there is. We're about fast feedback and speedy solutions. Since we take the risk, we reap the rewards. And that's just how we like it. We collaborate to innovate. We share knowledge, ideas and the glory when everything goes right.

More than 1000 Optiverians around the world work to improve the market. Optiver's a powerhouse of creative problem-solving and collaboration. It's an incredible team to be a part of. We like challenges. We love success. And we're proud of our culture, designed to give you plenty of opportunity and support to do amazing things.

What we offer

Optiver is a genuinely high performing environment. We support our people with a range of benefits, all designed to make life a little better. From free lunches to corporate social responsibility initiatives, generous leave policies and gym memberships, there are plenty of ways to get more out of life as an Optiverian. There are also plenty of ways to unwind, from our famous games room, social clubs and our many internal sports teams to weekly massages, meditation training and lots of other wellness perks. And with a culture that celebrates wins, you can bet that from our monthly social events, annual trip, Christmas party and more, you'll find time to meet your fellow Optiverians and enjoy a party or two.

Optiver also believes in getting better every day. Our internal learning and development programs are designed to help you get to the next level. With in-house experts, a structured learning program and plenty of opportunities to learn as you work, you're always developing new skills. Which helps when you're solving the most interesting problems in the world.

We recruit on a rolling basis so the sooner you apply, the sooner you could secure your internship!

Optiver embraces diversity and strives to provide an inclusive professional experience. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and we are committed to providing a fair and respectful recruitment process. If you have any requirements for reasonable adjustments to enable you to fully demonstrate your abilities, please let us know how we can accommodate you.