Trading Operations Analyst

Optiver

Posted 2 days ago

Full Time

Chicago, Illinois

In Person

Smart Summary

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end operational processes including corporate actions and expiries while building automation tooling in Python. Partner with traders and engineers to drive system stability and implement AI-driven agentic workflows for operational problems.

Qualifications

You have solid Python skills and a strong analytical mindset, with a curiosity for AI tooling and its application to operational problems. You are a graduate or professional with up to 2 years of experience, preferably with a STEM degree and an interest in financial markets.

Must Have Skills for ATS

Python

AI

LLMs

agentic workflows

Job Description

We're a small Options operations team focused on Operational Excellence across the trading desk. Our scope spans positions and bookings, reference data, recurring operational processes like corporate actions, and trading system stability. All of this needs to work reliably so traders can focus on markets. We sit between Traders, QRs, Developers and Application Engineers, and partner closely with them to identify and drive improvements.

Optiver invests heavily in giving trading teams first-class access to the latest AI tooling. You'll have the environment and support to build agentic workflows that would be hard to replicate elsewhere.

What you’ll do

You'll own operational processes end-to-end, drive projects that improve and scale how the desk operates, and partner with traders, developers and Application Engineers to deliver bigger initiatives.

  • Own recurring operational processes end-to-end (corporate actions, expiries, early exercises, onboarding new underlyings).
  • Build and maintain validation, reconciliation and monitoring for positions, bookings and reference data.
  • Deliver automation and tooling in Python that removes manual work and scales our operational coverage.
  • Apply AI and agentic workflows to operational problems.
  • Drive larger improvement projects, sometimes owning delivery directly, sometimes representing trading on cross-team initiatives with Developers and Application Engineers.
  • Coordinate with Application Engineers on incidents and system upgrades.
  • Participate in an on-call rota.

Who you are

  • A graduate or professional with up to 2 years of working experience, preferably with a degree in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent (STEM).
  • Strong analytical mindset and problem decomposition skills.
  • Solid Python skills.
  • Curiosity about AI tooling and interest in applying LLMs or agentic workflows to operational problems.
  • Good communication skills and comfortable collaborating with multiple stakeholders.
  • Fluent in English.
  • Interest in financial markets.

Nice to have

  • Internship or prior exposure to trading operations or related fields.
  • Experience thinking about automation and tooling at scale.

Who we are 

At Optiver, our mission is to constantly improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and acting as a stabilizing force no matter the market conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we participate in the safeguarding of healthy and efficient markets for everyone who participates. As one of the largest market making institutions, we are a trusted partner of 70+ exchanges across the globe.

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. Motivated 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 performance-based bonus structure, enabling all of our employees to benefit from our global profit pool.
  • The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 50 different countries.
  • Training opportunities, discounts on health insurance, and fully paid first-class commuting expenses.
  • Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, world-class barista coffee, in-house physio and chair massages, organized sports and leisure activities, and Friday afternoon drinks.
  • Training and continuous learning opportunities, including access to conferences and tech events.

How to apply

Apply directly via the form below. If you have any questions feel free to contact our Recruitment team via our recruitment inquiry form.

Please note:

  • We do not require any assistance from third-parties including agencies in the recruitment of this role
  • We cannot accept applications via email

Diversity statement

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion.

Optiver

Create better access and prices for all – that’s our goal for financial markets the world over. As a leading global electronic market maker, we are dedicated to our mission of continuously improving the market. It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. It’s the driving force behind our business. Even in times of extreme volatility, we stay the course. Resolute in our belief that the market should always be liquid for economies to thrive. As one of the oldest market-making institutions, we’re a trusted partner of exchanges. Our contribution to them ensures they remain stable, transparent and competitive. We provide liquidity to financial markets using our own capital, at our own risk, trading a wide range of products: listed derivatives, cash equities, ETFs, bonds, and foreign currencies. We strongly believe in the positive power of the world’s markets. That’s why we’re committed to leading the way in market making for environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) products. Optiver is a global company with offices in Amsterdam, Sydney, Chicago, Austin, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, London and Singapore.

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