FutureFocus Sydney - Expressions of Interest

Ready to kickstart your career with Optiver? Complete our Expression of Interest form and we’ll be in touch when applications open.

Join FutureFocus, our immersive five-day program designed to ignite your potential as a future trader, researcher or developer at Optiver.

Dive into the fundamentals of trading, gain unique insights into Optiver’s cutting-edge trading systems and build the key skills that our traders, researchers and developers use every day.

Plus, if you've excelled in the program, you could receive a direct offer for our 2026/27 Summer Internship Program.

• Eligible for pre-penultimate university students (graduating in 2027 and onwards) studying in an Australian or New Zealand university
• Program dates: 29 September – 3 October 2025
• Where: Optiver Sydney office*

*Note: If you reside outside of Sydney, Optiver will cover your travel and accommodation costs.

What You’ll Do

Led by ex-traders and ex-engineers, our renowned in-house education team will guide you through the intricacies of market making. You will be immersed in a mix of hands-on and classroom learning, empowering you to thrive in the world of trading and technology.

As part of the FutureFocus program, you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Kickstart your journey in trading, research, or technology, gaining insights into different career pathways at Optiver.
• Learn the fundamentals of trading theory and build trading strategies for deployment in a virtual market.
• Discover the cutting-edge techniques that keep us at the forefront of global financial markets, as you explore our world-class trading and technology systems in action.
• Immerse yourself in our dynamic trading floor, experiencing first-hand how our traders, researchers, and developers collaborate to solve complex challenges.
• Connect with recent graduates and hear their personal experiences.
• Receive mentorship and support from our in-house trainers, senior traders, and developers, who are committed to ensuring you have the guidance needed to succeed.
• Experience Optiver's culture and enjoy our incredible perks, including daily breakfast, lunch and coffee, weekly massages, and more.

Who You Are

• A pre-penultimate university student, graduating in 2027 or later. All degree backgrounds are considered.
• Studying at an Australian or New Zealand university.

Applying for the program

The FutureFocus program offers two streams: Trading and Research or Technology. To help you choose the stream that aligns with your interests, please find more information below. Please note that you can only apply for one stream.

Trading and Research

Our Traders make trading decisions based on market conditions and other factors. They’re driven and have a flair for analytical problem solving. Check out Will’s ‘Day in the life’ story to learn more.

Our Researchers collaborate closely with traders and developers to build and improve our trading strategies. They'll often work with huge amounts of data and use statistical and machine learning algorithms. Check out Dom's ‘Day in the life’ story to learn more.

Technology

Our Software and FPGA Developers play a critical role in executing successful trades. Driven by the desire to find the simplest solutions to the most complex problems, they design and build high performance systems that solve real business problems. Check out Brenda’s ‘Day in the Life’ story to learn more.

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion, and it 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.

Questions? Check out our Optiver Sydney Campus recruiting FAQs or get in touch with the team at careers@optiver.com.au.