Software Developer Internship (Dec 2027)

GOTAFE; Australia; On-site; AUD 26,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Optiver offers a Software Developer Intern position in Sydney where you’ll work with experienced engineers to build latency-critical trading technology and participate in a world-class training program. You’ll experience an fast-paced development cycle and the chance to contribute to production code within weeks.

During the 10-week program you’ll receive structured mentorship, workshops, and trader training, with the potential for an offer to return as a Graduate Software Developer if you excel.

Qualifications

• Penultimate year student studying Computer Science, Software or related engineering field.
• Experience with C++, Java or Python for the technical assessment.
• Australian/NZ working rights or eligible to work in Australia.

Responsibilities

• Develop latency-critical components for trading systems.
• Collaborate with traders and engineers to build simple, well-architected solutions.
• Participate in training, mentorship, and the software development lifecycle.

Skills

Low latency

Problem solving

Curiosity

Team collaboration

Education

Computer Science or related field

Tools

C++

Java

Python

Job description

As a Software Developer Intern at Optiver, you’ll work alongside experienced engineers to develop innovative solutions that enable us to respond to the financial markets at lightning-fast speeds. In just a few weeks, you could develop latency-critical applications that contribute towards our trading success.

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 Software 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. Whether it's developing ultra‑low latency exchange protocol encoders and decoders, or fine‑tuning our automated trading strategies and pricing models, you’ll work closely with traders and other engineers to build simple, well‑architected solutions that meet the needs of our business.

You’ll experience the excitement of a fast‑paced development cycle – owning a tight feedback loop, testing and shipping your code to production. You could be working on a change to a trading system in the morning and see it run live by the afternoon. No two days are the same, and it’s up to you and your team to drive our success in the ever‑evolving capital markets.

Aside from technical skills, our dedicated education team will 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.

Find your niche in technology

We offer a range of opportunities in our technology teams. Discover the exciting projects that you could work on during your internship.

• Read Nicole's story on working in ourStatistical and Index Arbitrage team to develop position‑taking strategies that predict price moves.
• Read Brenda’s storyon delivering low‑latency, high‑throughput systems that improve our connectivity to the financial market.
• Read Richard’s storyon navigating the world of automated trading – systems that make trading decisions.
• Read Marcus’ storyon working in the risk and treasury team, where he monitors systems that manage and mitigate risk (e.g. trading risk).
• Read Lena’s storyon production engineering, where they build tools and systems that enable us to trade smoothly.

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 a Computer Science, Software/Electrical/Mechatronic Engineering or similarly technical degree.
• Problem solver who will enjoy building high‑performing, low latency designs that critically impact trading success.
• Curious to learn and comfortable exploring complex technical ideas.
• Have a range of out‑of‑classroom projects or extra‑curricular activities that demonstrates your passion in technology, particularly software development.
• Excited to work alongside the best developers and traders in the industry, with the humility to continually upskill and improve yourself.
• Knowledgeable about object‑orientated design and development concepts (experience with C++, Java or Python is required for our technical assessment).

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.