Senior Equity Analyst

Optiver; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Global profit-sharing pool

401(k) match up to 50%

Comprehensive health coverage

25 paid vacation days

Extensive office perks

Job summary

Optiver is seeking a Senior Equity Analyst based in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, you will sit directly on the trading desk, influencing real-time decisions that significantly impact P&L.

The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in equity analysis within market-making or trading-oriented firms, with a proven track record in generating actionable insights based on fundamentals. A highly competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits await you.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as an equity analyst, preferentially in market-making and trading-oriented environments.
• Strong understanding of fundamentals impacting price movements.
• Experience working closely with trading desks.

Responsibilities

• Leverage fundamental insights to create trading revenue streams.
• Partner with traders to optimize risk positions.
• Perform scenario and sensitivity analyses and assess impacts.

Skills

Equity analysis

Market-making understanding

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Data processing

Job description

As a Senior Equity Analyst, you’ll sit directly on the trading desk, influencing real-time decisions and shaping positions with direct P&L impact. This is not a traditional equity research role – your work will be used in live trading environments where speed, adaptability, and commercial judgement are critical.

You’ll bring strong experience owning sector coverage, along with a keen understanding of how fundamentals drive short‑term price action and volatility. While we are open to candidates from any sector background, you should be comfortable applying your framework across new names and situations.

This is a high‑impact role designed for analysts who thrive in fast‑paced, collaborative environments – and who are eager to apply their market‑making instincts, short‑horizon research, and option‑aware thinking to drive tangible results.

What you’ll do:

• Leverage fundamental, event‑driven, and short‑term catalysts to create an orthogonal trading revenue stream expressed via the analyst book identify and evaluate trading opportunities
• Partner with traders to help optimize analyst and market making positions, directly owning risk in both the analyst and market making books
• Support market making desk with general insights that improve day‑to‑day trading decisions
• Perform scenario and sensitivity analyses for upcoming events and corporate developments, assessing their potential impact on both equity and volatility
• Translate research insights into actionable strategies across equities and options
• Contribute to process improvements and knowledge sharing across the analyst team, refining how fundamental insights are monetized in a market‑making context
• Mentor junior analysts and support the continued growth of the equity research function

What you’ll get:

• The opportunity to work alongside best‑in‑class professionals from over 40 different countries
• Highly competitive compensation package
• Global profit‑sharing pool and 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:

• 5+ years of experience as an equity analyst, within a market‑making environment, proprietary trading firm, or event‑driven / trading‑oriented hedge fund
• Proven track record of owning sector coverage and generating differentiated, actionable insights
• Strong understanding of how fundamentals translate into short‑term price moves and volatility
• Experience working closely with trading desks or in fast‑feedback, P&L‑driven environments
• Comfortable applying your research process across sectors, with the ability to quickly build conviction on new names
• Familiarity with options and volatility dynamics, or a strong interest in developing this expertise
• Highly analytical with strong problem‑solving skills; thrives in fast‑moving, information‑rich environments
• Clear communicator who proactively shares views and collaborates effectively with traders and researchers
• Passionate about the markets, adaptable, and driven by impact and continuous learning
• Comfortable working with large data sets and building scalable, repeatable processes

Benefits

Optiver does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, or other legally protected characteristics.

Base Salary Range

$200,000—$200,000 USD