OPTIVER

Graduate FPGA Engineer (2026 Start - Austin)

OPTIVER$80K — $120K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Pursuing a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related field.
  • Expected graduation date between December 2025 to June 2026.
  • Hands-on experience in digital design with FPGAs or ASICs.
  • Proficient in writing hardware in VHDL, Verilog, or System Verilog.
  • Strong engineering instincts and passion for clean, well-architected systems.
  • Team-oriented and capable of collaborating across trade and development functions.

Responsibilities

  • Accelerate network infrastructure and trading system components with high-speed hardware designs.
  • Research new low-latency techniques and platforms for potential integration with trading systems.
  • Collaborate within a multidisciplinary team of traders, software developers, and infrastructure engineers.
  • Leverage or develop cutting-edge hardware to ensure optimum FPGA performance.
  • Participate in comprehensive onboarding training to enhance role-related skills.
  • Engage with trading theory and technology during initial training phases.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work alongside professionals from over 40 countries.
  • Access to a global profit-sharing pool and performance-based bonuses.
  • 401(k) match up to 50% of contributions.
  • Comprehensive health coverage including mental, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
  • 25 paid vacation days plus additional market holidays.
  • Extensive office perks including meals, social events, and sporting leagues.
Full Job Description
As a FPGA Engineer, you'll work side-by-side with teammates to build real-world applications that power a global trading firm. You'll create solutions with nanosecond response times, highly parallelized algorithms, and customized low-level networking that solve business challenges effectively and efficiently. Collaborating closely with our business, you'll have in-depth insight into a problem before developing the solution.

We operate in one of the most fast-paced and competitive environments in the tech industry. That means no two days are the same, and every day brings new, exciting technical challenges to solve.

This opportunity is also available in our Chicago office - learn more and apply.

What you'll do

Your onboarding

In the first eight weeks, you will participate in Optiver's comprehensive Global Academy and be equipped with the knowledge needed to make an impact the moment you join your team. The comprehensive training covers trading theory and Optiver's tech stack to hone your skills for your role. In addition, you will be paired with a dedicated mentor who will empower you to take ownership of your work and make a difference at the firm.

Your responsibilities
  • Accelerate network infrastructure and trading system components with high-speed hardware designs.
  • Research new low-latency techniques and platforms and identify opportunities for integration with our trading system.
  • Collaborate in a multidisciplinary team of traders, software developers, and infrastructure engineers.
  • Leverage the best hardware available or build in-house versions to ensure our FPGAs can interface with cutting-edge server hardware.

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
  • 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:
  • A student pursuing a bachelor's, master's, or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or another related field
  • On track to graduate between December 2025 to June 2026
  • A student with strong engineering instincts and hands-on experience in digital design with FPGAs or ASICs
  • Experienced in writing hardware in VHDL, Verilog, or System Verilog
  • Passionate for writing clean code, well-architected systems, and continuous improvement
  • A collaborative teammate comfortable working with developers, traders and business teams

Who we are:

At Optiver, our mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and stabilizing the market no matter the conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we prioritize safeguarding the health and efficiency of the markets for all participants. As one of the largest market making institutions, we are a respected partner on 100+ exchanges across the globe.

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.

*We accept one application per role per year. If you have previously applied to this position during this season and have been unsuccessful, you can reapply once the next recruitment season begins in 2026.

About OPTIVER

Optiver is a proprietary trading firm and market maker for various financial instruments. The company was founded in 1986 in Amsterdam and has since expanded to have offices in Chicago, Sydney, and Shanghai. Optiver trades in a variety of financial products including options, futures, and equities. The company is known for its use of technology and quantitative analysis to make trading decisions. Optiver has been recognized as a top employer in the Netherlands and has won awards for its workplace culture.
Learn more about OPTIVER
Size
1,000 employees
Industry

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