Early Career- Junior Options Trader

Keyrock; Greater London; Remote; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital asset market maker is expanding its global options desk and seeks a Junior Options Trader to grow within the team. The candidate will assist in monitoring risk, develop option strategies, and work closely with experienced traders. This entry-level, hands-on role offers mentorship and exposure to crypto derivatives markets. A quantitative background and interest in systematic trading are essential. Remote working flexibility is available.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Mentorship from senior traders

Remote-first working setup

Collaborative tech-driven environment

Qualifications

• Recent or upcoming graduate from a top university.
• Experience in systematic trading or algorithmic research is a plus.
• Strong interest in quantitative trading and crypto derivatives.

Responsibilities

• Assist in monitoring risk across options books.
• Support research into options and volatility strategies.
• Work with quant developers to improve trading tooling.

Skills

Strong quantitative skills

Analytical skills

Proficiency in Python

Interest in options and derivatives

Strong communication skills

Education

Degree in financial engineering, mathematics, or related field

Job description

About Keyrock

Founded in 2017, Keyrock is a leading digital asset market maker with 200+ team members globally, representing 42 nationalities. We trade across 80+ exchanges and run desks in market making, options, OTC, and DeFi. We’re known for our tech‑first approach, Rust‑based trading systems, and for actively shaping the future of digital asset markets.

The Opportunity

Keyrock is expanding its global options desk and we’re looking for an Early Career – Junior Options Trader based out of Europe (remote working possibility) to grow into a core member of our Options team. You’ll start by supporting senior traders in running and improving our options books across crypto derivatives markets, and progressively take on more ownership as you develop.

This is an entry‑level hands‑on, learning‑intensive role where you’ll work closely with experienced traders, quants, and engineers, gaining exposure to strategy design, risk management, and execution across 80+ venues. If you’re early in your career, strong quantitatively and excited to specialise in options and systematic trading in the crypto space, we’d like to hear from you.

As a Junior Options Trader You Will Support On

Trading & Risk Support

• Assist in monitoring and managing risk across our options books under the guidance of senior traders.
• Help maintain orderly books: checking positions, PnL, exposures, and ensuring adherence to risk limits.
• Execute trades and adjust positions according to desk playbooks and senior trader instructions.

Research & Strategy Development

• Support research into options and volatility strategies (systematic and positional), including idea testing and backtesting.
• Work with historical and real‑time data to analyse performance, market microstructure, and edge.
• Help maintain and refine models, parameter sets, and dashboards used by the desk.

Collaboration & Tooling

• Work closely with quant developers and engineers to improve pricing, risk, and execution tooling.
• Help specify and test new features or enhancements to our trading systems and infrastructure.
• Communicate clearly with other desks (market making, OTC, DeFi) when strategies or flows overlap.

Learning & Development

• Rapidly ramp up on options theory, volatility surfaces, and crypto derivatives market structure.
• Participate in code reviews, strategy discussions, and post‑trade analyses to accelerate your learning curve.
• Continuously update your knowledge as markets, venues, and products evolve.

Knowledge Skills & Experience

We are hiring for early‑career profiles. You might recognise yourself in one of the following paths (all are welcome to apply):

Quantitative Graduates

• Recent or upcoming graduate from a top university in financial engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science, or a related quantitative field.
• Strong interest in options, derivatives, or quantitative trading, demonstrated through coursework, projects, internships, or competitions.

Systematic / Algorithmic Trading Background

• Experience (internship or full‑time) in systematic or algorithmic trading, research, or execution (not necessarily in options) and a strong desire to specialise in options trading.
• Comfortable working with data, writing code, and thinking in terms of models, signals, and risk.

Junior Options Desk Experience

• 624 months of experience on an options desk (crypto, equities, FX, or rates), in trading, structuring, or quant support.
• Familiarity with options concepts (greeks, implied volatility, basic strategies) and day‑to‑day desk workflows.

Core Requirements

• Strong quantitative and analytical skills; solid understanding of probability, statistics, and numerical methods.
• Working proficiency in Python (Rust, C++ or Java is a plus); experience with data analysis libraries is a plus.
• Genuine interest in crypto markets, derivatives, and market microstructure. Prior crypto experience is a plus but not mandatory.
• High attention to detail, especially under time pressure; comfortable operating in a fast‑moving trading environment.
• Curious, proactive, and eager to learn from feedback and from more experienced team members.
• Prior internship or role at a market maker, prop trading firm, hedge fund, or crypto‑native trading firm is highly desired.
• Strong communication skills and fluency in English; able to work effectively with globally distributed teams.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation with clear potential for upside as you grow your impact.
• A steep learning curve with mentorship from senior options traders and quants.
• High exposure to real trading from day one, with responsibility increasing as your skills develop.
• Remote‑first setup with flexibility, plus core coverage expected for your trading region.
• A global, collaborative, and tech‑driven environment where you can help shape next‑generation crypto derivatives markets.

If you’re excited to build a career in options trading and want to learn in a high‑calibre, technology‑driven environment, we’d love to hear from you.

As an employer we are committed to building a positive and collaborative work environment. We welcome employees of all backgrounds, and hire, reward, and promote entirely based on merit and performance.

Due to the nature of our business and external requirements, we perform background checks on all potential employees, passing which is a prerequisite to join Keyrock.