RF System Engineer

Optiver; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-based bonus structure

401(k) match up to 50%

Comprehensive health benefits

25 paid vacation days

Office perks including free meals and social events

Job summary

Dormont Manufacturing Co in Austin, Texas is on the lookout for ambitious Software Engineers to develop proprietary trading systems that impact financial markets. This position requires designing and debugging custom RF hardware in a collaborative environment where your work is highly valued.

The role involves working on complex systems that require a stable foundation to ensure effective real-time performance. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in RF systems and software engineering, with opportunities to innovate and influence market strategies directly.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of industry experience in RF systems.
• Hands-on experience designing RF hardware.
• Familiarity with antenna fundamentals and HF design.

Responsibilities

• Design custom RF hardware and subsystems.
• Develop HF receive and transmit front ends.
• Lead system-level validation and characterisation.

Skills

RF hardware design

Debugging RF systems

Python scripting

EMI/EMC compliance

Circuit board integration

Education

BS in electrical or computer engineering

Master or Ph.D. (preferred)

Tools

RF lab equipment

RF simulation tools (ADS, AWR, etc.)

Job description

Our Software Engineers build proprietary trading systems which directly impact the financial markets. Our software engineering teams leverage technology to solve a variety of difficult problems.

Our trading strategies must respond to market events in microseconds or less, and we automatically price large, diverse sets of financial instruments with extremely low error tolerance. We continually refine, store, and analyze terabytes of data produced by market activity and our trading systems. Our user interfaces must present coherent, responsive real‑time visualisations of market activity and system performance while providing intuitive control of a highly complex system. Our core systems must provide a stable, performant, and trusted foundation on which our systems are built.

Technology at Optiver

At Optiver we pride ourselves on being real engineers, not just coders. Our engineers work closely with traders to identify the business problems we face and determine how they should be solved. We apply a disciplined and scientific approach. We engineer simple, well‑architected solutions that meet the dynamic needs of our traders. Our passion is to solve problems which really matter to the business, and we take pride in the quality of our solutions.

What you’ll do

• Design, realise, test and bring up custom RF hardware and subsystems, including PCBAs.
• Develop HF receive and transmit front ends, including LNAs, filters, matching networks and amplifier integration.
• Characterise and debug RF system performance end‑to‑end.
• Create test plans and drive system level validation.
• Work with software, infrastructure, and network teams to ensure RF systems are deployed successfully at scale.
• Work in a multidisciplinary team and own your designs from concept to production.
• Understand regulatory requirements

What you’ll get

• Direct hands‑on involvement in building unique, high‑performance hardware systems which deliver meaningful impact to our business
• A collaborative team environment where your contributions are visible and valued
• Diverse, non‑repetitive work – nearly every system is bespoke
• Work alongside best‑in‑class professionals from over 40 different countries
• Highly competitive compensation package including performance‑based bonus structure
• 401(k) match up to 50%
• Comprehensive health, mental, dental, vision, disability, and life coverage
• 25 paid vacation days alongside market holidays
• Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and snacks, regular social events, clubs, sporting leagues and more

Who you are

• BS in electrical or computer engineering, Master or Ph.D. preferred.
• 3+ years of industry experience.
• Hands‑on experience designing and debugging RF hardware and systems.
• Experience with HF design, including front ends, filtering, matching and amplifier characterization.
• Strong understanding of receive‑chain performance, including gain, noise figure, linearity, stability and isolation.
• Experience isolating issues in transmit and receive chains, including non‑linear distortion and coupling mechanisms.
• Experience with EMI debugging and familiarity with EMC compliance and mitigation.
• Experience with PCBA design and board‑level system integration.
• Comfortable using RF lab equipment and writing basic Python for bring‑up, automation or analysis.
• Working knowledge of safety and regulatory requirements relevant to deploying RF systems, EMI/EMC, and safe operation of high‑power RF equipment.

Nice to have

• Microwave design experience.
• Familiarity with antenna fundamentals.
• Ham radio licence
• Experience with RF simulation tools such as ADS, AWR, HFSS or CST.
• Familiarity with Spice simulation
• Experience working with external vendors, labs or manufacturing partners.
• Experience supporting compliance workflows, including pre‑compliance testing, documentation, and coordination with external test labs or certification bodies.
• FPGA or microcontroller programming experience.

Who we are

• Optiver is a global market maker driven by technology. Our mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and stabilising the market no matter the conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we prioritise safeguarding the health and efficiency of the markets for all participants. As one of the largest market making institutions, we are a respected partner on 100+ exchanges across the globe.
• Our Austin office serves as the firm’s innovation nucleus, with a strong focus on quantitative research, software development and hardware engineering. The team here plays a central role in advancing our heavy investment in machine learning, research infrastructure and big data computing. Located in The Domain neighbourhood, the office is surrounded by world‑class music, great food and easy access to outdoor spaces, providing a vibrant setting for the team.
• We value in‑person collaboration across disciplines, and this role is based-on‑site in our Austin office.
• Applicants may submit up to three applications per calendar year across all open roles.
• Our differences are our edge. Optiver does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, or other legally protected characteristics.