Back
Student and Graduate Technology

Graduate Software Engineer (2025 Start – Chicago)

Chicago

As a Software Engineer, your work is mission-critical at our firm. You will work on solutions that enable us to react to markets at lightning-fast speeds. Your work will be the magic behind the scenes, enabling our teams to make split-second decisions with precision and confidence. By working in an interdisciplinary manner and innovating and optimizing code, you will keep our firm competitive in the ever-evolving capital markets.

What you’ll do

Your onboarding

In the first eight weeks, you will participate in Optiver’s comprehensive Global Academy and be equipped with the knowledge needed to make an impact the moment you join your team. The comprehensive training covers trading theory and Optiver’s tech stack to hone your skills for your role. In addition, you will be paired with a dedicated mentor who will empower you to take ownership of your work and make a difference at the firm.

Your responsibilities

As a Graduate Software Engineer, you will work closely with best-in-class Traders, Risk Analysts and other Engineers to develop simple, well-architected solutions that meet the needs of our business. No one day is ever the same. You will gain and develop in-depth knowledge of engineering for the capital markets. Our collective passion to solve problems makes a direct impact on our business.

What you’ll get

You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, where you’ll be surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem solvers. Driven by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, working collectively to tackle the toughest problems in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

  • A highly competitive compensation package.
  • Global profit-sharing pool and performance-based bonus structure.
  • 401(k) match up to 50% and fully paid health insurance.
  • 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:

  • Student working toward a degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering graduating between December 2024 and June 2025
  • Passionate for clean code, simple, well-architected systems, and continuous improvement
  • A proficiency in coding languages such as C++, Python, or Java
  • A solid grasp of algorithms, memory and concurrency models, CPU-architecture, operating systems and relational databases
  • Strong engineering ability and a solid understanding of computer science fundamentals
  • Have an entrepreneurial attitude and an interest in the financial industry
  • An analytical mindset and strong problem-solving skills
  • Able to work closely with developers, traders, and business operations

Who we are: 

At Optiver, our mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and stabilising the market no matter the conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we prioritise 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 70+ exchanges across the globe.

Diversity statement

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion.

For answers to some of our most frequently asked questions, refer to our Campus FAQs.

*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 2025. 

You are viewing: Apply now
Graduate Software Engineer (2025 Start – Chicago)
Student and Graduate Technology Chicago
Careers

Related vacancies

  • Technology

    Modern Workplace Lead

    WHO WE ARE Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global market maker. For over 35 years, Optiver has been improving financial markets around the world, making them more transparent and efficient for all participants. With more than 1,600 employees in offices around the world, we’re united in our commitment to improve the market […]

    Learn more
    Amsterdam
  • Technology

    Modern Workplace Engineer

    WHO WE ARE Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global market maker. For over 35 years, Optiver has been improving financial markets around the world, making them more transparent and efficient for all participants. With more than 1,600 employees in offices around the world, we’re united in our commitment to improve the market […]

    Learn more
    Amsterdam
  • Technology

    Senior Data Software Engineer

    Ingesting and appropriately modeling financial instruments and alternative datasets is a problem that continues to grow in complexity with the increasing sophistication and interconnected nature of global derivatives markets. We are looking for a Data Software Engineer to join our Global Data Engineering team to build a new framework for modeling financial instruments in the […]

    Learn more
    London
  • Technology

    Linux Systems Engineer

    The Optiver Linux Systems Engineering Team ensures our trading servers work so we can trade. You will work in a highly-customized bare metal environment where proprietary tools and technology run at breakneck speed. You will be expected to help build the pioneering tools to keep our systems best-in-class while enabling our technology evolution in a controlled way. […]

    Learn more
    Chicago
  • Technology

    Modern Workplace Lead

    WHO WE ARE Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global market maker. For over 35 years, Optiver has been improving financial markets around the world, making them more transparent and efficient for all participants. With more than 1,600 employees in offices around the world, we’re united in our commitment to improve the market […]

    Learn more
    Sydney
  • Technology

    Application Engineer

    WHO WE AREOptiver is a global market maker founded in Amsterdam, with offices in London, Chicago, Austin, New York, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei and Mumbai. Established in 1986, today we are a leading liquidity provider, with close to 2,000 employees in offices around the world, united in our commitment to improve the market through […]

    Learn more
    Mumbai
  • Technology

    Linux System Administrator

    Our Linux Team ensures our trading servers work so we can trade. You will work in a highly-customized environment where proprietary tools and technology run. You will be expected to help build the pioneering tools to keep our systems best-in-class while enabling our technology evolution in a controlled way. Who we are: Optiver is a […]

    Learn more
    Chicago
  • Technology

    Data Center Engineer (Frankfurt)

    At Optiver, we strive for excellence in everything we do. Now, we’re looking for a Data Center Engineer that shares our excellence-only mindset. Because we believe that thoughtfully planned and well-orchestrated data center infrastructure is just as important as the algorithms running on our trading software. Without best-in-class infrastructure, there would be no foundation upon […]

    Learn more
    Frankfurt
  • Technology

    Business Information Security Officer

    WHO WE ARE Optiver is a global market maker founded in Amsterdam, with offices in London, Chicago, Austin, New York, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei and Mumbai. Established in 1986, today we are a leading liquidity provider, with close to 2,000 employees in offices around the world, united in our commitment to improve the market […]

    Learn more
    Sydney
  • Technology

    Machine Learning Performance Engineer

    Optiver is a seeking a Machine Learning Performance Engineer to join our team, focusing on a pivotal AI initiative. This role would offer the opportunity to have significant impact across Machine Learning infrastructure, training, and inference challenges to advance our futures trading strategies. Who we are: Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global […]

    Learn more