Trader

As a Trader at Optiver you will work in an entrepreneurial manner to fully manage your own trading book. Your tasks will encompass many different responsibilities, primarily making good risk/reward trading decisions but just as importantly working closely with the technology, research and control departments to make continuous improvements.

If you have an academic degree, excellent numerical skills and a passion to prove yourself, then you could be the Trader we are looking for.

Optiver is an industry leader across everything we do. We don’t just meet industry standards we aim to set them! With trading teams focusing on a broad range of options and delta1 products we are able to provide an unrivalled universe of exciting opportunities for our employees. Through our core function as a market-maker we continuously improve the market by being the source of liquidity for market participants.

What you'll do

The Optiver trading floor is one of the most dynamic and exciting trading floors in Europe. As a Trader you will continuously price and trade financial products to fulfill our market making responsibilities, managing the risk of the complex portfolio of financial instruments you trade in the process. You will process information from multiple sources and take action to adjust trading parameters.

We value Traders who take the initiative to work closely together with the technology and research functions to improve everything we do. In summary, as a Trader you will:

• Entrepreneurially manage your own trading book
• Make markets in financial instruments
• Manage the risks of a complex portfolio of financial instruments
• Process and act on the flow of information from various data sources
• Seek improvement in everything you do
• Work closely with colleagues across multiple departments

Upon starting as a Trader you will be immersed in an intensive two-month training program alongside other new recruits and employees from other departments within the organisation. The first month will be classroom based, bringing you up to speed with the theoretical basics of pricing and the workings of the wider organisation. The second month you will compete against your peers in live simulation trading. Upon graduation from the training program you will join one of our trading teams. We believe hands-on experience is the best way to learn and that is exactly what we provide.

What you'll need

• An academic degree in Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Econometrics, Finance, Computer Science or equivalent
• Excellent numerical and analytical skills
• A pro-active problem solving nature
• Fast decision making skills under pressure
• Competitive attitude and eagerness to constantly improve yourself
• Great attention to detail
• Computer programming skills are not required but definitely a plus

What you'll get

• The chance to start your career working alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries.
• Our performance based bonus structure is unmatched anywhere in the industry. We combine our profits across desks, teams and offices into a global profit pool fostering a truly collaborative environment to work in.

Alongside this you will get great secondary benefits such as 25 paid vacation days, fully paid first-class commuting expenses, training opportunities, discounts on health insurance, breakfast and lunch facilities, sports and leisure activities, Friday afternoon drinks and even weekly in-house chair massages. Being highly international, we are accustomed to guiding expats through their relocation, offering competitive relocation packages and providing visa sponsorship where necessary.

Are you interested in starting your career on one of the most dynamic and exciting trading floors in Europe?

Apply directly via the form below for the position of Trader. Please provide us with a CV and letter of motivation in English. Applications without a letter of motivation will not be reviewed. When we think there is a potential match, you will hear from us sooner than you expect. If you have any questions feel free to contact the Recruitment team on recruitment@optiver.com.
N.B. Once you have applied for the Trader position and been selected, you will be required to take 3 tests to measure your numerical and analytical skills.