About Optiver

What it does: Technology-driven trading
Staff stats: 1000 + 
The good bits: Smart colleagues, flat structure, high reward
The not so good bits: High-pressure can be hard to adjust to, a high bar for achievement
Hiring grads with degrees in: Engineering, Maths, IT & Computer Sciences

The Optiver Story

We're an electronic market maker. Put simply, that means we trade options and other financial instruments in markets around the world, providing pricing for anyone who wants to trade. It's a unique business, with unique challenges. More than 1,000 Optiverians work to improve the market through ethical market operation. We're a quiet powerhouse of creative problem solving and collaboration. And while building our success for more than 30 years, we've deliberately forged a culture that gives you plenty of opportunity and support to make an impact here. We want the best. to help us make it better every day.  

The Culture

At Optiver, we do things a bit differently to most businesses. We operate without clients, taking risks and reaping the rewards ourselves. We play by our own rules and maintain an informal culture to make sure it's fun. We skip the mindless meetings and get on with it. And we celebrate high performance, individual excellence and doing better every day. We take serious things very seriously - like chasing wins and embracing the challenges of the market. We collaborate to solve open-ended problems in the most competitive market there is. We're about fast feedback and speedy solutions. Since we take the risk, we reap the rewards. And that's just how we like it. We collaborate to innovate. We share knowledge, ideas and the glory when everything goes right.

Social Contribution

We believe in giving back to the communities we come from and operate within. This drive for 'better every day' takes a lot of different shapes, to give our people opportunities to support their preferred causes. 

• We support Indigenous artists through the Artbank program.
• We support the Movember campaign, which means a lot of furry lips (and fitness folks) during November.
• We promote blood donation drives, fitness and wellness events.
• We have regular in-house trading sessions to raise money for nominated charities and causes. 
• We build charitable outcomes into staff training initiatives, and even into our annual trip!
• We hold a Charity Vote every year, giving $20K donations to three charities voted for by our staff. 
• Each day, leftover food is donated to OzHarvest, ensuring it goes to those in need. 
• We donate books, toys and gifts to the Smith Family Christmas Appeal, and allow staff to give their Christmas Gift to a charity of their choice.
• We have volunteer days for all staff, allowing our people to dedicate their time to the things they care for. 
• We continue to adopt new initiatives to improve our impact on the planet. From sustainable coffee cups and selecting vendors with impeccable environmental credentials to reducing our single-use plastics and reducing food waste, we're always looking for ways to do better every day. 
• We encourage staff to cycle to work, providing bike storage and free bike servicing services to reduce environmental impact and traffic on the roads. 
• Our offices are in a 6-star green-rated building, and we work with Ecosave to monitor and optimise our environmental impact. 

Career Prospects

Joining Optiver is a great start to your career. You’ll join a company that believes in getting better every day. You’ll learn from inspiring colleagues, get fast feedback from stakeholders and the market, and work in cross-discipline teams to deliver real business value. You’ll have access to courses, challenges and career paths that give you a strong start, wherever you want to go. And you’ll join a culture of teamwork and camaraderie that helps you do amazing things, and celebrate the wins 

The vibe

As you’d expect of a world-leading trading firm, Optiver prides itself in providing a great environment to do amazing work. The building is lit by a floor to ceiling atrium, allowing both natural light and the excitement of busy trading days to reverberate through the office. The environment is designed to foster collaboration, communication and agility, making it easy to get on with the job. 
Optiver is committed to making the world better every day. This commitment extends to our people and making their lives better through a range of initiatives, benefits and opportunities.

• Gym memberships for staff to help stay fit and active
• Custom small group training sessions with SoulTrain
• Weekly meditation and mindfulness sessions on managing stress and building resilience
• Weekly massages for all staff
• Healthy, fresh food provided by our in-house chefs for breakfast and lunch
• Fresh fruit, healthy snacks and vegan/vegetarian options for every meal
• Bike storage and servicing to make it easier for people to commute by bicycle
• Onsite shower facilities so people can feel clean after a workout or walk
• Regular health challenges for charity, such as cycling, StepCount challenges, the Square Mile Relay and more
• Plenty of teams and clubs to get involved in, from football and squash to cycling teams, and even rock climbing!
• An internal library - the Book Nook - full of resources available to all staff to upskill or expand