Performance Engineer Intern - Summer 2027

IMC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Paid leave

Insurance

Job summary

IMC invites highly driven interns to apply quantitative techniques and practical experimentation to our trading technology in Chicago. You will perform quantitative research, design strategies to optimize liquidity taking and quoting, and develop Python ETL pipelines for ultra-low-latency trading.

Collaboration with traders and engineers is essential to implement your ideas. The internship starts June 7, 2027, with a base salary of $200,000 and potential discretionary bonuses and benefits

Qualifications

• Current university student graduating between September 2027 - July 2028 pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technology field.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language is required.
• Exceptional quantitative ability and analytical skills.
• Highly motivated to compete—and win—in one of the world’s most competitive markets.
• Experience with statistical modeling, machine learning, or network technology is a plus.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a desire to work cross-functionally across trading and engineering teams.
• Interest in the Financial Markets; previous knowledge is NOT required
• Must be able to start internship on June 7, 2027

Responsibilities

• Perform quantitative research with large datasets to understand exchange technology.
• Design novel strategies to optimize IMC’s liquidity taking and quoting strategies for exchange microstructure.
• Develop ETL pipelines and algorithms in Python to optimize IMC’s ultra-low-latency trading strategies
• Explore novel uses of frontier LLMs to accelerate data and research tasks
• Reverse-engineer and stress-test network and systems programming technologies in order to understand them better than the manufacturers.
• Collaborate closely with Traders and with the Hardware and Software Engineers who will implement your ideas.

Skills

Programming language proficiency

Quantitative ability

Statistical modeling

Machine learning

Communication & collaboration

Education

Pursuing CS/Engineering degree

Job description

Technology is at the heart of modern electronic trading. IMC is seeking highly driven interns to apply quantitative techniques and practical experimentation to the technology used by exchanges, connectivity providers, and our own systems.

Your Core Responsibilities:

• Perform quantitative research with large datasets to understand exchange technology.
• Design novel strategies to optimize IMC’s liquidity taking and quoting strategies for exchange microstructure.
• Develop ETL pipelines and algorithms in Python to optimize IMC’s ultra-low-latency trading strategies
• Explore novel uses of frontier LLMs to accelerate data and research tasks
• Reverse-engineer and stress-test network and systems programming technologies in order to understand them better than the manufacturers.
• Collaborate closely with Traders and with the Hardware and Software Engineers who will implement your ideas.

Your Skills and Experience:

• Current university student graduating between September 2027 - July 2028 that is pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technology field.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language is required.
• Exceptional quantitative ability and analytical skills.
• Highly motivated to compete—and win—in one of the world’s most competitive markets.
• Experience with statistical modeling, machine learning, or network technology is a plus.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a desire to work cross-functionally across trading and engineering teams.
• Interest in the Financial Markets; previous knowledge is NOT required
• Must be able to start internship on June 7, 2027

The Base Salary range for the role is included below. Base salary is only one component of total compensation; all full-time, permanent positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and benefits, including paid leave and insurance. Please visitBenefits - US | IMC Tradingfor more comprehensive information.

Base Salary: $200,000

About Us

IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.