Software Engineer - Low Latency Execution

Overview:

You’ll work on the systems and experiments that shape how we compete on exchanges. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, trading, and market microstructure research – focused on understanding what drives execution outcomes and turning those insights into production systems.

You’ll collaborate with the team on the mandate is to understand exchange architecture end-to-end – from matching engines and order types to market data feeds and queue dynamics – and use that knowledge to design and evaluate new approaches to order placement and execution.

Rather than purely optimizing for latency, this role is centered on research, experimentation, and iteration under uncertainty. You’ll explore ambiguous problems where the right answer isn’t known upfront, form hypotheses, and validate them through a combination of data analysis, simulation, and live experimentation. Working closely with researchers, you’ll continuously refine how we interact with markets based on real-world feedback.

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:

• Operate in ambiguous, high-uncertainty environments, turning open-ended questions into a deep understanding of exchange microstructure
• Partner with researchers to design and run experiments that evaluate execution strategies and market behavior
• Build systems that enable rapid iteration on order placement, cancellation, and execution logic
• Translate research findings into robust production improvements
• Own the full loop: idea → experiment → analysis → implementation

What you’ll get:

You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem-solvers. Motivated by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, collectively tackling some of the toughest challenges in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries
• A 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:

• Experience leading complex, large-scale engineering projects
• Strong computer science fundamentals and sound engineering judgment
• Ability to balance innovative thinking with practical execution
• Proficient in systems-level programming (e.g., C, C++, Linux)
• A mindset of continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness to set technical direction, uphold engineering standards, and take ownership of outcomes

Who we are:

Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global market maker. As one of the oldest market making institutions, we are a trusted partner of 70+ exchanges across the globe. 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.

Optiver Chicago’s culture parallels the energetic city we’re immersed in. Home to the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange, and Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago has established itself as the trading capital of the US. Active on leading US exchanges, Optiver’s Chicago office trades a wide range of products from listed derivatives to cash equities, ETFs, bonds and foreign exchange.

Our differences are our edge. 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.