Software Engineer Intern (Summer 2025 – Chicago)

As a Software Engineer Intern, you will work side-by-side with your mentor and teammates to build real-world applications. You will work on projects that further develop and optimize our systems and see contributions in real-time – testing and shipping your code to production. In our business, where the markets are always evolving, each day brings fresh challenges to solve.

What you’ll do:

Mentored by Optiver engineers, you will play a key role in advancing our world-class trading systems, working on projects that push the boundaries of performance and efficiency. You will:

• Deep dive into trading fundamentals, from theoretical concepts to financial markets, strategies and cutting-edge technology.
• Work closely with senior Engineers and Traders to develop, test, and ship your code to production.
• Tackle complex, real-world problems to enhance your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Examples of potential projects:

• Profiling and optimizing our software and systems
• Developing real use-case applications
• Building tools using vast data sets

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.

• A highly-competitive internship compensation package
• Optiver-covered flights, living accommodations and commuting stipends (where applicable)
• Office perks, including daily breakfast and lunch, social events and clubs

Who you are:

• A student working toward a degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering between December 2025 and June 2026
• Passionate for clean code, simple, well-architected systems and continuous improvement
• A proficiency in coding languages such as C++, Python, or Java
• 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: 

Optiver’s mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and offering stability no matter the market conditions. We are focused on continuous improvement and 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.