Institutional Trader

Make an Impact with Optiver Careers

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Chicago, Illinois, US Until 8/23/2026 2+ years exp H-1B sponsor history First posted October 21, 2025 Last posted October 21, 2025
Job description

Optiver is looking for an Institutional Trader to join our Trading Team. As one of the key faces of our organization, you will translate market intricacies into strategic trades, driving profitability and expanding our trading counterparties utilizing your strong interpersonal skills. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of our institutional business.

What you’ll do

Institutional traders often take on the largest and most impactful trades across the landscape. Every day presents them with new interactions, experiences and situations to navigate.

As an Institutional Trader, your key responsibilities include:

  • Represent Optiver by managing current and building new relationships with external counterparties
  • Interpret large flows to inform trading strategies
  • Identify new market opportunities in order to diversify our strategies and maximize team success
  • Collaborate with our internal sales and trading desks to make real-time contributions to trading and pricing decisions

What you’ll get

  • 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

  • Hold a bachelor’s degree (required)
  • Have 2-5 years of experience trading Index and/or Equity Derivatives at a Bank or Propriety Trading Firm
  • Expertise in trading and position management around market flows
  • Have a deep understanding of the market landscape and industry dynamics, allowing for the identification of innovative growth prospects
  • Excellent communicator with experience building and maintaining external relationships in your prior roles
  • Competitive attitude and dedication to constantly improve in a team environment  
  • Strong mathematical and quantitative background
  • Legal authorization to work in the US 

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.

 

Below is the expected base salary for this position. This is a good-faith estimate of the base pay scale for this position and offers will ultimately be determined based on experience, education, skill set, and performance in the interview process. This position will also be eligible for a discretionary bonus (if determined by Optiver) and Optiver’s benefits package with the benefits listed above. 

 

Base Salary Range
$200,000$200,000 USD

Compensation (from employer):
Base Salary Range — 200,000 – 200,000 USD

About this role

Summary

Manage large trades, interpret market flows, develop strategies, build external relationships.

Job title

Institutional Trader

Experience level

2-5 years

Minimum experience

2+ years exp

Industry

finance

Location requirements

Chicago, remote work not allowed

Salary

$200k+

Visa sponsorship

H-1B sponsor history

Management role

No

Skills & keywords

Required skills

tradingposition managementmarket landscapeindustry dynamicscommunication

Preferred skills

None specified

Specializations

Index tradingEquity derivativesmarket flowstrading strategiesrelationship building
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

Chicago, IL, USA

On-site City
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