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As a Quantitative Trader at Optiver you will work in an entrepreneurial manner to fully manage your own trading book. You will work closely with our Researchers and Developers to design, develop and improve our trading strategies.
If you have a technical academic degree, programming skills and a passion to prove yourself, then you could be the Quantitative Trader we are looking for.
Who we are
Our mission is to constantly improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and acting as a stabilising force no matter the market conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we participate in the safeguarding of healthy and efficient markets for everyone who participates.
Our Amsterdam office is where it all began. Over 35 years ago, Optiver’s business started with a single trader on the floor of Amsterdam’s European Stock Exchange. Since our 1986 founding, Optiver’s Amsterdam office has grown into one of the most dynamic and exciting trading floors in Europe. Our culture reflects the Dutch capital city’s progressive, innovative and inclusive nature. With its unique spirit, Amsterdam is the ideal hub for our teams to trade a wide range of products from listed derivatives to cash equities, ETFs, bonds and foreign exchange.
What you'll do
The Optiver trading floor is one of the most dynamic and exciting trading floors in Europe. As a Quantitative Trader you will use in-house and external data to develop and execute strategies while managing the risk of the complex portfolio of financial instruments you trade in the process.
We value Traders who take the initiative to work closely together with the technology and research functions to improve everything we do. In summary, as a Quantitative Trader you will:
- Entrepreneurially manage your own trading book
- Develop and execute data-driven strategies in financial markets
- Manage the risks of a complex portfolio of financial instruments
- Seek improvement in everything you do
- Work closely with colleagues across multiple departments
Upon starting as a Quantitative Trader you will be immersed in an intensive two-month training program alongside other new recruits and employees from other departments within the organisation. The first month will be classroom based, bringing you up to speed with the theoretical basics of pricing and the workings of the wider organisation. The second month you will compete against your peers in live simulation trading. Upon graduation from the training program you will join one of our trading teams. We believe hands-on experience is the best way to learn and that is exactly what we provide.
Who you are
- An academic degree in Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Econometrics, Computer Science or equivalent
- Good programming skills, preferably in Python
- Good understanding of statistics, linear algebra and probability
- Excellent numerical and analytical skills
- Great attention to detail
- A proactive problem solving nature
- Competitive attitude and eagerness to constantly improve yourself
What you'll get
- The chance to start your career working alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries.
- Our performance based bonus structure is unmatched anywhere in the industry. We combine our profits across desks, teams and offices into a global profit pool fostering a truly collaborative environment to work in.
Alongside this you will get great secondary benefits such as 25 paid vacation days, fully paid first-class commuting expenses, training opportunities, discounts on health insurance, breakfast and lunch facilities, sports and leisure activities, Friday afternoon drinks and even weekly in-house chair massages. Being highly international, we are accustomed to guiding expats through their relocation, offering competitive relocation packages and providing visa sponsorship where necessary.
Diversity statement
As an intentionally flat organisation, we believe that great ideas and impact can come from everyone. We are passionate about empowering individuals and creating diverse teams that thrive. Every person at Optiver should feel included, valued and respected, because we believe our best work is done together.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is hardwired through every stage of our hiring process. We encourage applications from candidates from any and all backgrounds, and we welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities.
More information on how Optiver Europe processes your personal data can be found in our Privacy Policy.
*We accept one application per role, per year. If you have applied to this role across any of our offices in the last year and have been unsuccessful, you can reapply once your 12 month cooling period has concluded.
