Summer Intern - Product Management

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC); Illinois; Hybrid; USD 21,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) invites applications for its Summer Internship Program. This 12-week opportunity offers hands-on experience in cloud-native technologies, IaC, and Kubernetes within a hybrid work environment.

As an intern, you will collaborate with the IaC enablement team to support, maintain, and evolve our infrastructure, gaining real-world skills in Terraform, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms while contributing to meaningful projects at OCC.

Qualifications

• Rising senior or 2nd-year graduate student, graduating December 2027 or May/August 2028.
• BS in Computer Science or related field required.
• Interest in cloud-native technologies, infrastructure as code (IaC), and Kubernetes.
• Basic familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Support deployment, configuration, and day-to-day administration of IaC and Kubernetes clusters.
• Assist in monitoring cloud-native infrastructure across major clouds for reliability and performance.
• Collaborate with senior engineers to implement IaC using Terraform and related tools.
• Help enforce security best practices within IaC environments.
• Troubleshoot infrastructure issues related to Kubernetes networking, storage, and runtimes.
• Work with platform and development teams to ensure high availability for mission-critical systems.
• Document configurations, procedures, and lessons learned for team knowledge sharing.
• Pursue ongoing learning in cloud and IaC technologies through training and hands-on practice.
• Communicate progress, blockers, and resolutions clearly to team and stakeholders.

Skills

Strong communication

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Terraform

Kubernetes

Python

AWS

GitHub

Ansible

Education

BS in Computer Science

Tools

Terraform

Kubernetes

GitHub

Ansible

Jenkins

Puppet

Kafka

Python

AWS

Job description

Location: C Chicago

Internship type: Seasonal intern (12 weeks, summer 2027)

Hybrid Work Program

OCC operates under a Hybrid Work Program which, absent an approved exception, requires employees to work from an OCC office at least 3 days per week. To maximize in–person collaboration, Tuesday and Wednesday are considered anchor days, and all employees are expected to work in the office both days. Employees meeting performance expectations are generally permitted to select 2 other days per week to work remotely if desired. When working remotely, employees are generally expected to work from the state in which they reside, absent an exception approved by Human Resources. Additionally, OCC generally does not permit employees to work while traveling internationally.

About OCC

A World Class Clearing Organization

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 21 exchanges and trading platforms.

OCC also provides free and engaging educational resources about the benefits and risks of options through its Options Industry Council (OIC).

OCC is building a culture that empowers continued learning, authentic innovation, and constant creativity.

About the Intern Program

OCC is looking for interns who are eager to learn, humble enough to ask questions, and ready to think critically about complex problems. The OCC Internship Program equips students with the real-world skills needed to transition successfully into a career in financial services. As an intern, you will contribute to meaningful projects, applying your skills and knowledge to real challenges facing the business. Your time with us is a real opportunity to make a genuine impact on the future of OCC!

OCC's Summer Internship Program is a 12-week opportunity running either May through August or June through September, and is open to undergraduate and graduate students who are actively enrolled at a college or university. Interns work up to 40 hours per week in a hybrid work environment, and overtime is not permitted.

About The Team & Role

The IaC enablement team provides scalable, reliable, and self-service infrastructure capabilities with infrastructure as code and automation. The team platys a critical part of the Renaissance modernization efforts.

Job Summary & Responsibilities

This is an excellent opportunity for a student with a passion for cloud-native technologies, container orchestration, and infrastructure automation. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to support, maintain, and evolve our Kubernetes-based infrastructure while gaining hands‑on experience in a real‑world production environment. Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset are essential, as this role involves regular interaction with engineering, operations, and security teams.

Responsibilities

• Support the deployment, configuration, and day-to-day administration of IaC and Kubernetes clusters
• Assist in maintaining and monitoring cloud-native infrastructure across one or more major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), ensuring reliability and performance
• Collaborate with senior engineers to implement and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices using tools such as Terraform
• Help enforce security best practices within IaC environments
• Participate in troubleshooting and resolving infrastructure issues related to Kubernetes networking, storage, and container runtimes
• Work alongside platform and development teams to support high‑availability requirements for mission‑critical systems
• Document infrastructure configurations, procedures, and lessons learned to contribute to team knowledge sharing
• Continuously develop technical skills through on‑the‑job learning, training, and staying current with emerging cloud and IaC technologies
• Communicate effectively with team members and stakeholders, providing clear updates on task progress, blockers, and resolutions

Candidate Qualifications

Rising senior or second-year graduate student, graduating December 2027 or May/August 2028.

Desired Majors

• BS In Computer Science or relative field

Technical Skills/Experience Desired

• Terraform, Kubernetes, GitHub, Ansible, Jenkins, Puppet, Kafka, any Information as Code skillset, or Python. AWS or relevant public cloud providers

Additional Qualifications

• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple teams and stakeholders
• Strong team player who thrives in a collaborative environment and can manage tasks effectively under deadlines and pressure
• Foundational knowledge of Kubernetes architecture, container orchestration, and cloud-native infrastructure concepts, networking, storage, and containers
• Basic familiarity with Kubernetes, maintenance, and administration, with a willingness to develop hands‑on experience
• Understanding of high‑availability principles and willingness to apply them in mission‑critical, 24/7 production environments
• Basic understanding of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) concepts, with some exposure to tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation for provisioning and managing infrastructure
• Familiarity with at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including core services such as compute, storage, and networking, with a desire to deepen cloud infrastructure knowledge
• Ability to work within structured change control processes and follow established operational procedures

About Us

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com.

Compensation

• The salary range listed for any given position is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If hired at OCC, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors such as skills, experience and/or education.
• In addition, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer.
• We typically do not hire at the maximum of the range in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a substantial benefits package as noted on www.theocc.com/careers
• All employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses are based on various factors, including, but not limited to, company and individual performance and are not guaranteed.

Salary Range

$25.00 - $25.00

Incentive Range

This position is eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award, for which the target range is listed above (see Incentive Range). The amount of such award, if any, will be based on various factors, including without limitation, both individual and company performance.

OCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer