This program is your exclusive pathway to join Optiver as a graduate.
Want to fast-track your career path from student to a full-time trader or researcher?
Join Career Kickstarter: Trading & Research, our five-day immersive program designed to accelerate your journey from university to a full-time trading or research career.
Experience the fast-paced world of quantitative trading and discover what it takes to excel as a trader or researcher, from mastering options theory to developing highly practical industry skills.
Through a blend of interactive lectures, trading simulations, and mentorship from our world-class education team, you’ll sharpen your analytical edge and learn how to think, and act, like a trader or researcher by the end of the week.
Plus, if you've excelled in the program, you could receive an offer for our 2027 graduate position.
- Eligible for final year university students, or have 1-2 years of industry experience (graduating in 2027 or has graduated between 2024-2026)
- Program dates: 21 – 25 September 2026
- Where: Singapore
*Note: If you reside outside of Singapore, Optiver will cover your travel and accommodation costs.
What you'll do
Led by Optiver’s world-class education team, you’ll gain a deep understanding of market making and trading strategies, through a blend of hands-on and classroom learning.
Learning and skill development:
- Discover options theory: Learn the fundamentals that underpin options trading, through engaging, interactive lectures.
- Explore trading strategies: Discover how data, reports, and proposals drive the development of impactful new trading strategies.
- Build and test your own trading algorithm: Gain hands-on experience designing and testing your own trading algorithm.
- Engage in trading games: Participate in fast-paced games that mimic real-world trading scenarios, helping sharpen your instincts and decision-making skills under pressure.
Networking and culture:
- Gain expert mentorship: Learn directly from a dedicated team of educators, consisting of current and former traders and engineers.
- Build your network: Enjoy connecting with traders, quantitative researchers, and engineers through curated events.
- Experience Optiver’s culture: Immerse in our culture and enjoy our incredible benefits, including daily breakfast, lunch, coffee, and more.
Who you are
- A university student graduating in 2027 or has graduated between 2024-2026. All degree backgrounds are considered.
- A Taiwan Citizen or Taiwan Permanent Resident.
- For candidates who are not Taiwan citizens or permanent residents, you must have lived, studied, or worked in Taiwan for at least 6 months and demonstrate a genuine commitment to building your career in Taiwan, including working full-time in Taiwan on a long-term basis after graduation.
- Lateral thinker, with a passion for quantitative problems and working in collaborative, dynamic environments.
- Holds superior logical reasoning skills.
- Experienced in programming or scripting in Python a plus.
Applying for the program
Trading & Research
Our Traders make trading decisions based on market conditions and other factors. They’re driven and have a flair for analytical problem solving.
Our Researchers build models leveraging big data and machine learning to identify profitable signals that underpin our algorithmic trading strategies.
Ready to kickstart your career with Optiver? Apply today.
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We accept one application per role per year. If you have previously applied to this position during this season at Optiver regardless of location, and have been unsuccessful, you can re-apply when the next recruitment season begins in 2027.