Quantitative Researcher Internship (Dec 2027)

St Mark's College; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 22,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration package

Flights and accommodation covered

Training, mentorship and development

Gym membership and in-house massages

Daily meals and barista

Social events

Job summary

Optiver seeks a penultimate-year student for its Trading & Research internship in Sydney. You will participate in a structured program of lectures on trading fundamentals, then join research teams with a mentor to apply your knowledge to real-world pricing and trading challenges.

You’ll explore topics like pricing models, market data analysis, and high-performance implementations, while gaining exposure to a collaborative, high-performance culture with development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Penultimate university student or equivalent.
• Pursuing a quantitative or technical degree such as maths, statistics, physics, or computer science.
• Strong numerical and analytical abilities; curiosity and collaborative mindset.

Responsibilities

• Complete lectures and coursework on trading fundamentals.
• Join a research team with a mentor to apply knowledge to real-world scenarios.
• Engage with topics such as pricing models, market data analysis, and trading strategies.

Skills

Programming experience

Quantitative problems

Communicate technical concepts

Education

Quantitative degree

Job description

What you’ll do

Led by our in-house education team that consists of ex-traders and engineers, you will complete a curated series of lectures and coursework on trading fundamentals, covering topics such as options pricing, financial markets, trading strategies and cutting-edge technology.

Then, you will join one of our research teams and be paired with a mentor, applying your recently acquired knowledge to real-world scenarios that contribute towards our trading success. Some of the topics you could be working on, include:

• Using statistical models and machine learning to developtrading algorithms.
• Leveraging big data technologies to analyse high-frequency trading strategies, market microstructure, and financial instruments to identify trading opportunities.
• Building stochastic models to determine the fair value of financial derivatives.
• Combining quantitative analysis and high-performance implementation to ensure the efficiency and accuracy of pricing engines and libraries.

Find your niche in research

During the internship, you will gain exposure to the various opportunities that are available in our research teams. Discover some of the teams below.

• Read Noah’s story to discover how he leverages large datasets to create underlying models that price our financial instruments in the Options Pricing team.
• Read Rob’s story to discover how he develops and tests hypotheses that drive improvements in the execution, speed and success of our trading systems, in the Performance Research team.

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 Trading & Research program.
• An Australian or New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or able to provide evidence of full working rights.
• Studying aquantitative or technically focused degree, such as Maths, Statistics, Physics, Electrical / Mechatronic / Software Engineering, Computer Science, Applied / Quantitative Finance or Econometrics.
• Inquisitive and critical thinker, who enjoys creating innovative, new solutions.
• Have a passion for quantitative problems and working in collaborative, dynamic environments.
• Pragmatic, focused on outcomes and can communicate technical concepts well.
• Enjoys utilising technology, programming, or maths in your daily life to solve problems.
• Possess programming experience in any language (C, C++, Python, Basic, JAVA, etc.).

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.

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.