Quantitative Development & Strategy Intern, Summer 2027

Akuna Capital; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,500 - 159,500; Full time

Job summary

Akuna Capital in Chicago is seeking Quant Development & Quant Strategy Interns for a 10-week Akunacademy program. You will work with our Quant team to design production trading code, analyze market signals, and contribute to high-performance solutions alongside researchers and traders.

Candidates are pursuing a technical degree (Bachelors/Masters/PhD) in Engineering, CS, Math, or Physics, with strong Python and OOP skills, GPA 3.5+, and legal authorization to work in the U.S.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a bachelors, masters, or PhD in a technical field – Engineering, Computer Science, Math, Physics (or related subject)
• Strong Python programming background
• Experience in object-oriented programming
• Exposure to linear algebra and introductory statistics
• Desire and ability to learn the intricacies of financial markets
• Must graduate by August 2028
• GPA of 3.5 or above
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required on the first day of employment including F‑1 students using CPT, OPT or STEM

Responsibilities

• Design and develop production code of trading strategies: pricing models, execution logic and performance optimisation along with researchers, traders and system engineers
• Analyse and incorporate market signals in our trading systems
• Advance existing codebase and propose new solutions and improvements

Skills

Python programming

Object-oriented programming

Linear algebra

Statistics

Financial markets knowledge

Education

Bachelors/Masters/PhD in engineering/computer science/math/physics

Tools

NumPy/SciPy

Parallel programming frameworks

Job description

About Akuna

Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting‑edge technology, data driven solutions, and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market‑maker, meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully, we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies and mathematical models. Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, London, and Singapore.

What you'll do as a Quantitative Development & Quantitative Strategy Intern at Akuna

Akuna’s Quant team creates trading strategies scientifically by combining its quantitative expertise with sophisticated understanding of derivatives and financial markets. The team is looking to add both Quant Development & Quant Strategy Interns to our team for our 10‑week Akunacademy internship program who will make a direct and measurable impact on our trading decisions and performance.

The successful candidate will have a strong programming background, familiarity with mathematical techniques and the fluency to leverage both skills to produce trading solutions and high‑performance production code. In these roles you will:

• Design and develop production code of trading strategies: pricing models, execution logic and performance optimisation along with researchers, traders and system engineers
• Analyse and incorporate market signals in our trading systems
• Advance existing codebase and propose new solutions and improvements

Requirements for these roles

• Pursuing a bachelors, masters, or PhD in a technical field – Engineering, Computer Science, Math, Physics (or related subject)
• Strong Python programming background
• Experience in object‑oriented programming
• Exposure to linear algebra and introductory statistics
• Desire and ability to learn the intricacies of financial markets
• Must graduate by August 2028
• GPA of 3.5 or above
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required on the first day of employment including F‑1 students using CPT, OPT or STEM

Qualities that make great candidates

• Experience with generic and/or parallel programming
• Deeper understanding of any of the following fields: Linear Algebra, Numerical Methods, Statistics, Optimization, Signal Processing, Computer Architecture, Machine Learning, Heterogeneous/High Performance computing
• The ability to react quickly and accurately to rapidly changing market conditions, including the ability to quickly and accurately respond and/or solve math and coding problems are essential functions of the role
• Exposure to financial markets and trading
• Resumes must be submitted in PDF format.

Additional information

In addition to technical skillsets, Akuna values the unique perspectives people can bring to the table to collaboratively solve complex problems and drive Akuna forward. We want everyone to feel empowered to apply.

Please note: By submitting an application for this role, you are indicating this is your top preference and acknowledge you will not be considered for other Quant and/or Tech roles at Akuna this recruiting season. This acknowledgement does not limit applications to Trading roles – in addition to this role, you may apply to any Trader roles of interest.

In accordance with Illinois Equal Pay Act, the minimum annualized base salary starts at $145,000. Exact compensation offered may vary based on many factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's experience, qualifications, and skill set. The minimum base salary herein was determined in good faith by Akuna Capital LLC.