FPGA Intern

Drweng; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 202,500 - 247,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing provided

Mentorship program

Options course

Job summary

DRW is seeking an FPGA Intern in Chicago to design, develop and deploy FPGA-based trading solutions. You will work under senior technologists, contributing to meaningful projects and learning through hands-on mentorship.

Ideal candidates are pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in EE/CE/CS with a Dec 2027–Jun 2028 graduation window, and have exposure to FPGA development, data structures, and SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL with C++ or Python.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD with expected graduation Dec 2027–Jun 2028.
• Exposure to FPGA development flow is required.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical reasoning skills.
• Working knowledge of SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL and C++ or Python; quick learner.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and deploy proprietary FPGA solutions for trading applications.
• Collaborate with software developers, quantitative traders, and researchers in cross-functional teams.
• Identify and advocate innovative FPGA architectures and data processing improvements.
• Communicate ideas clearly and contribute to robust research and development.

Skills

FPGA development flow

Data structures & algorithms

SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL

C++ or Python

Communication & collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in EE/CE/CS/Physics/Math/ML

Job description

Our formula for success is to hire exceptional people, encourage their ideas and reward their results.

As an FPGA Intern, you will build advanced trading applications leveraging cutting‑edge technology. DRW enables our FPGA Interns to develop a real‑world trading centric FPGA application under the guidance of senior technologists with the goal of deployment during your ten weeks. While your days will have you immersed in complex projects directly driving DRW’s progress, your evenings will be spent exploring the city with organized social events to truly discover what it is like to live and work in Chicago.

How you will make an impact…

• Design, develop, test, and deploy proprietary FPGA solutions. Examples include creating:
  • Decoders to receive raw packet data from various exchanges and translate it into a more accessible form
  • Modules which take decoded data and trigger events for specific instrument(s) traded on that exchange
  • Novel FPGA architectures to expand our data processing capabilities
  • Identify innovative solutions to complex problems and advocate for their implementation to your team by communicating your ideas in a clear and concise manner
  • Conduct robust research using all available resources to determine the best solution
  • Collaborate with software developers, quantitative traders, and researchers as well as business analysts in cross‑functional team environments

What you bring to the team…

• Are pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Machine Learning, or any related science discipline and have an expected graduation date between December 2027 and June 2028
• Have exposure to the FPGA development flow
• Have strong understanding of data structures, and algorithms
• Have an eagerness to learn and apply what you have learned, and to know the impact of your code
• Have strong problem‑solving and analytical reasoning skills
• Have strong communication and collaboration skills
• Exhibit excellent development skills in System Verilog, Verilog or VHDL and have a working knowledge of C++ or Python and a deep curiosity to learn and absorb new technologies quickly

What to expect during the internship…

• Meaningful projects: You’ll receive a challenging project to complete during your time here. Each project, advised by a hardware engineer, promotes a comprehensive learning experience and provides you with meaningful work experience.
• Community: Throughout the summer, we host a variety of educational, social and team‑building activities to foster friendship and camaraderie.
• Housing: DRW provides fully furnished apartments located close to the office –making your morning commute as easy as possible.
• Mentorship: You’ll build a professional relationship with an experienced mentor in your field. Mentors and mentees meet to discuss goals, challenges and professional development and explore the city together at our mentor outings.
• Education: As technology continues to drive the trading industry forward, both in terms of new products and transaction methods, the future will present us with unique opportunities and challenges. To prepare you for how technology will continue to impact trading’s future landscape, you will complete an options course framed from a developer’s standpoint to help you visualize how your technology solutions will be used in real time. As the trading industry continually evolves, both in terms of new products and transaction methods, the future will present us with unique opportunities and challenges.

DRW is a diversified trading firm with over 3 decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. We value autonomy and the ability to quickly pivot to capture opportunities, so we operate using our own capital and trading at our own risk.

Headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we trade a variety of asset classes including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities and Energy across all major global markets. We have also leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non‑traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital and cryptoassets.

We operate with respect, curiosity and open minds. The people who thrive here share our belief that it’s not just what we do that matters– it's how we do it. DRW is a place of high expectations, integrity, innovation and a willingness to challenge consensus.

The annual base salary range for this position is $225,000 depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant skill set. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition, DRW offers a comprehensive suite of employee benefits including group medical, pharmacy, dental and vision insurance, 401k (with discretionary employer match), short and long‑term disability, life and AD&D insurance, health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts.

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