Graduate Software Engineer

Optiver; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Optiver in Amsterdam is seeking a Graduate Software Engineer to work on live trading systems where speed, reliability and precision directly influence outcomes. You’ll collaborate with traders, researchers and engineers, participate in Global Academy training, and be paired with a mentor to take ownership from day one.

Expect to build well-architected solutions in C++, Python or Java, improve performance, and contribute reusable tooling across the trading stack.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent.
• Graduating between August 2024 and August 2027, with up to 3 years of work experience.
• Strong emphasis on clean code and well-architected systems.
• Proficiency in C++, Python or Java and solid understanding of computer architecture.

Responsibilities

• Build simple, well-architected solutions alongside traders, researchers and engineers.
• Use tooling to create agents, workflows and optimizations across the trading stack.
• Improve performance, reliability and maintainability as market requirements evolve.
• Contribute reusable tools and capabilities for other engineers and teams.

Skills

C++

Python

Java

Algorithms

Concurrency

Education

Bachelor/Master/PhD in CS/CE or equivalent

Job description

As a Graduate Software Engineer, your work is mission-critical at our firm. You will work on systems that operate in live financial markets, where speed, reliability and precision directly affect trading outcomes. You will collaborate with traders, researchers and engineers to understand problems, challenge assumptions and build solutions that can respond to changing market conditions in real time.

What You’ll Do

Your onboarding

You will participate in Optiver’s comprehensive Global Academy and be equipped with the knowledge needed to make an impact the moment you join your team. The comprehensive training covers trading theory and Optiver’s tech stack to hone your skills for your role. In addition, you will be paired with a dedicated mentor who will empower you to take ownership of your work and make a difference.

• Build simple, well-architected solutions alongside traders, researchers, risk analysts and engineers.
• Use frontier agentic tooling, and build your own agents, skills and workflows, to solve problems across the trading stack.
• Improve performance, reliability and maintainability as markets and system requirements evolve.
• Contribute tools and capabilities that other engineers and teams can reuse.

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.

• A performance-based bonus structure, enabling all of our employees to benefit from our global profit pool
• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 50 different countries
• 25 paid vacation days in your first year, increasing to 30 from your second year onwards
• Training opportunities, discounts on health benefits, and fully paid first-class commuting expenses
• Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, world-class barista coffee, sport and leisure activities, bi-weekly massages and Friday afternoon drinks
• Training and continuous learning opportunities
• International transfer opportunities for global career growth
• Competitive relocation packages and visa sponsorship where necessary for expats

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent, with outstanding academic achievements
• Graduating between August 2024 and August 2027, with a maximum of 3 years of work experience
• Passionate about 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
• A solid grasp of algorithms, memory and concurrency models, CPU-architecture, operating systems and relational databases
• 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, researchers and business operations

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.

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).