Software Engineer Internship (2027 Start)

Optiver; Greater London; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Accommodation included

Office perks

Job summary

Optiver offers a Software Engineering Internship in London for the Summer 2027 program. You will work with mentors to build software for our real-time trading environment, tackle performance challenges, and ship code to production.

Penultimate-year CS/CE student with strong C++, Python, or Java skills and a passion for finance will contribute on research projects and may receive a full-time offer after graduation in 2028. Right to work in the UK is required; visa sponsorship is not provided.

Qualifications

• Penultimate-year student in Computer Science or Computer Engineering
• Proficient in C++, Python, or Java
• Interest in finance and strong problem-solving skills

Responsibilities

• Build software for Optiver’s real-time trading environment and improve performance and reliability
• Collaborate with mentors and engineers to design, test, and ship code to production
• Tackle real-world engineering problems in a fast-paced, data-rich setting

Skills

C++

Python

Java

Education

Penultimate-year CS/CE student

Job description

As a Software Engineering Intern, you will work side-by-side with your mentor and teammates to build software for Optiver’s real-time trading environment. You will work on research projects that further develop and optimize our systems, testing and shipping code with guidance from experienced engineers and seeing how your work performs in production. In our business, where markets are always evolving, each day brings new engineering problems shaped by live conditions, performance requirements and system reliability. Optiver is building with cutting edge AI technology in the most competitive, data rich landscapes in the world: financial markets. That means no two days are the same, and every day brings new, exciting technical challenges to solve.

What You’ll Do

During the ten-week internship, you will be mentored by Optiver engineers, play a key role in advancing our world-class trading systems and work on projects that push the boundaries of performance and efficiency. You will:

• Build a strong foundation in trading fundamentals, from theoretical concepts and financial markets to strategies and the technology that supports them
• Work closely with senior engineers and traders to design, develop, test, and ship your code to production
• Tackle complex, real-world problems to enhance your critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Learn how engineers collaborate with traders and researchers to understand requirements, respond to feedback and improve systems quickly

Based on your performance during the internship, you could receive an offer to join our firm full-time after your studies, in either our London or Amsterdam office.

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. Motivated by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, working collectively to tackle the toughest problems in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• A highly competitive internship compensation package and accommodation included
• Extensive office perks, including breakfast and lunch and world-class barista coffee.
• The opportunity to participate in sports and leisure activities, along with social events

Who You Are

• Penultimate-year student in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent, with the ability to work full time upon graduation in 2028
• Passionate for clean code, simple, well-architected systems and continuous improvement
• Proficient in industry-standard coding languages such as C++, Python, or Java, with a strong understanding of underlying computer architecture and system operations
• Have an entrepreneurial attitude and an interest in the financial industry
• An analytical mindset and strong problem-solving skills
• Able to work closely with other engineers, traders and business operations
• Applicants must have the right to work in the UK for the full duration of the London Summer 2027 Internship. For this internship, Optiver is unable to provide visa sponsorship, visa extension support, or other immigration support. Any offer will be conditional on satisfactory right-to-work verification before the internship begins

Diversity statement

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion.

We encourage applications from candidates from any and all backgrounds, and we welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities. Please let us know if you would like to request any reasonable adjustments by contacting the Recruitment team via the contact form, selecting "Reasonable Adjustments" as the subject of your inquiry.

For answers to some of our most frequently asked questions, refer to our FAQs.

For applicants based in India, our entry route is via the placement office internship hiring season (July/August).

Optiver has a global application re-apply policy for our intern and graduate roles

If you have completed an online assessment or interviewed for a technology graduate or internship role at any Optiver location in the past 8 months, please note that you are not yet eligible to reapply. We welcome you to re-apply after the 8-month cool off period.