Compliance Surveillance Officer

Optiver; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Relocation support

Training & development

Daily meals

Gym membership

Company social events

Visa sponsorship where needed

Job summary

Optiver in Sydney seeks a disciplined surveillance professional to translate large, noisy datasets into clear risk insights. You will investigate alerts, build automated detection systems, and contribute to a scalable compliance framework within a collaborative team.

The role emphasizes SQL/Python skills, 3+ years in markets compliance, and a proactive, results-driven mindset. Australian location with on-site work is expected.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in trade surveillance or related markets, data, or compliance-technology roles.
• Hands-on SQL or Python to analyze large datasets.
• Experience automating analysis or building data tooling is a strong plus.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication.

Responsibilities

• Investigate surveillance alerts end-to-end and identify risk factors.
• Analyze large market and trade data to detect unusual patterns.
• Build and automate detection logic, tooling, and data pipelines.
• Leverage AI workflows to surface risk and refine systems.
• Design controls to detect and prevent market abuse and measure their effectiveness.
• Collaborate across functions to improve the compliance framework.

Skills

Trade surveillance

Data analysis

Python

SQL

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

SQL

Python

Job description

Are you a surveillance or markets professional who has spent the last few years turning large, complex datasets into answers? Someone who investigates unusual trading, understands why a pattern looks off, and won't stop digging until the picture is clear? If you want to bring that experience to a team that pairs deep data analysis with automation to keep markets clean, and to a collaborative environment where success is shared, we'd love to hear from you.

What you’ll do

Your role in the Compliance Department at Optiver in Sydney will be crucial in ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements and best practices by leveraging expertise and driving innovation. Your key responsibilities may include:

• Investigating trade surveillance alerts end-to-end: reconstructing order and trade activity from market data, and reviewing related communications, to identify risk factors, potential market abuse and undesired conduct, and to establish what actually happened and why.
• Analysing large sets of market and trade data, using SQL, Python and AI-assisted workflows, to detect, evaluate and explain unusual trading patterns and assess potential risk.
• Building and automating detection logic, tooling and data pipelines, including AI and machine-learning driven systems, that make surveillance faster, sharper and more scalable.
• Leveraging AI workflows and systems to investigate alerts and surface risk more effectively, and helping design, build and refine those systems.
• Designing and testing controls to detect and prevent market abuse, then measuring whether they actually work.
• Contributing to the execution and continuous improvement of the Compliance monitoring and surveillance framework.
• Reviewing surveillance electronic communications alerts and following them up to resolution.
• Combining technical skill with a solid understanding of the regulatory framework to keep our controls fit for purpose.
• Identifying gaps in the surveillance framework and pushing improvements that mitigate the firm's biggest risks and enable growth.
• Advising on and supporting the implementation of compliance requirements.
• Building strong communication lines across functions to enhance collaboration.

Who you are

• An analytical and investigative mind, with a strong eye for detail and a talent for spotting outliers and the unexpected in large, noisy datasets.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in trade surveillance, market abuse monitoring, or a related markets, data or compliance-technology role.
• Strong sense of integrity and the ability to balance business interests with independent judgment.
• Strong data skills, preferable to have hands-on experience using SQL or Python to analyse large datasets.
• Experience automating analysis or building data tooling is a strong plus.
• A genuine interest in using technology and data to solve problems in financial markets and trading.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• A proactive, collaborative and results-driven approach to work.
• A supportive team player with a positive outlook and the ability to build strong relationships.
• Ability to focus and maintain high-quality output in recurring tasks.
• A bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification.
• Experience working at or with exchanges and regulators is a strong plus.

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 some of the most complex problems in the financial markets.

In return for your expertise, you will have access to a range of Optiver perks, including:

• A performance-based bonus structure unmatched anywhere in the industry. We combine our profits across desks, teams and offices into a global profit pool, fostering a truly collaborative environment.
• The chance to work alongside diverse and intelligent peers in a rewarding environment.
• Training, mentorship and personal development opportunities.
• Daily breakfast, lunch and an in-house barista.
• Gym membership plus weekly in-house chair massages.
• Regular social events, including a company trip every two years.
• Guided relocation, a competitive relocation package and visa sponsorship where necessary.

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, and welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process.