FPGA Developer Internship (Dec 2027)

Cognitioworld; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flights & accommodation provided

Training & mentorship

Gym membership

In-house meals: breakfast & lunch

Job summary

Optiver in Sydney invites an FPGA Developer Intern to work with our hardware engineers on latency-critical systems powering real-time trading. You’ll contribute to fast, reliable trading tech and learn through a world-class, mentor-led training program.

Expect hands-on exposure to VHDL, Verilog, Python and C++, along with modern HDL test benches and high-performance networking techniques. A strong focus on learning and impact drives our summer program.

Qualifications

• Studying Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or a similarly technical degree.
• Experience with HDL languages (VHDL/Verilog) and some software programming (Python/C++).
• Interest in high-performance, low-latency FPGA design.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to latency-critical FPGA designs used in real-time trading.
• Develop and test FPGA modules using VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog.
• Collaborate with traders and hardware engineers to optimize performance.

Skills

VHDL

Verilog

SystemVerilog

Python

C++

Networking

Education

Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering

Job description

At Optiver, FPGAs play a critical role in executing successful trades. With no external clients, we operate in a fast feedback, quick release environment.

As a FPGA Developer Intern at Optiver, you'll work alongside experienced hardware engineers to ensure we have the fastest and most reliable trading systems in the industry.You’ll constantly be innovating with new technology in the hardware space, ensuring our latency is optimised to nanoseconds.

By the end of the 10-week internship, you'll have deepened your understanding of how technology is used in the quantitative trading industry. Plus, if you've excelled over the summer, you'll receive an offer to return as a Graduate FPGA Developer.

What you'll do

Led by our in-house education team that consists of ex-traders and engineers, you'll delve into advanced engineering concepts and lead innovative projects, during our world-class training program. In just a few weeks, you'll develop latency-critical applications that contribute towards our trading success.

During the internship, you will be paired with one of Optiver’s seasoned FPGA developers, providing you exposure to a variety of areas, including:

• Designing highly accurate and efficient systems that respond to the financial markets in real time.
• Accelerating network infrastructure and trading systems using the latest devices, tools and techniques.
• Developing rigorous test benches using a combination of VHDL and System Verilog.
• Exploring new mechanisms for faster data communication/processing to accelerate network infrastructure and trading systems.

Aside from technical skills, ourdedicated education teamwill also work with you on your development, including:

• Workshops on a variety of tech-based topics, along with soft skills to support your holistic growth as a developer.
• A dedicated mentor who will guide you through our development process and how our trading systems work.
• Trader training to get you up to speed on our business. This helps you understand the fundamentals of trading, enabling you to make an impact from the early stages of your Optiver career.

Read Vicky's storyto discover the exciting projects that you could work on during your FPGA internship.

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 most complex problems in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• A highly competitive remuneration package.
• Optiver-covered flights and accommodation for the duration of the internship.
• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals.
• Training, mentorship and personal development opportunities.
• Gym membership, plus weekly in-house chair massages.
• Daily breakfast, lunch and in-house barista.
• Regular social events.

Who you are

• A penultimate university student. If you are a pre-penultimate university student, discover our 2027 FutureFocus Technology program.
• An Australian or New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or able to provide evidence of full working rights.
• Studying an Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or similarly technical degree.
• Deeply passionate about technology, particularly FPGA development, and have a range of out-of-classroom projects or activities to prove it.
• Knowledgeable about HDL languages: VHDL and/or Verilog as well as some experience with Python and/or C++.
• Understand network protocols: Ethernet, IP, TCP/UDP.
• Familiar with FPGA logic elements, transceivers, memory and other on-chip resources
• Have some experience developing algorithms in software.
• Excited to create high-performance, low-latency designs that critically impact trading success.
• Keen to work alongside the best developers and traders in the industry, with the humility to continually upskill and improve yourself.

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 100+ exchanges across the globe.

Diversity statement

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

Questions? Check out our Campus FAQs or get in touch with the team.

We accept one application per role per year. If you have previously applied to this position during this season and were unsuccessful, you may reapply when the next recruitment season begins in 2028.

We also ask that you apply to one role at a time, selecting your preferred opportunity. We will only consider candidates for one role at any given time.