What first attracted you to Optiver?
I didn’t really know much about Optiver or finance when I first applied. But throughout my internship, I really enjoyed working on the problems and challenges at Optiver and working with all the amazingly bright people around me.
What does your role entail?
I work in common execution which is a core team that oversees all common products that execute into the various exchanges that we trade. At the start of a project, I’ll mostly be in meetings – discussing, planning and designing efficient, scalable and modular solutions for the particular problem. Most of my development work is in C++, with a sprinkle of Python for latency insensitive tasks or for data analysis. Furthermore, a lot of time is also spent on verifying that our products work, as intended by thoroughly testing our stack and ensuring mechanisms are in place so we can efficiently roll back and operate if something does go wrong.
What key skills are required?
Whilst technical knowledge is important, communication and project management are crucial. No matter which team you end up on, you’ll be interacting and collaborating with a variety of other teams, both technical and non-technical. Knowing how to work efficiently with them, and manage their needs and expectations is important to developing great solutions.
What are some of the projects you are working on (non-confidential)?
One project that I’ve been working on is the rookie environment. In this project, I worked with a team to upgrade the stack that we train the rookie traders on, including the exchange simulator, so that it would better mirror production. Another project I worked on was upgrading our existing order safety system, which we use in case of emergencies to remove ourselves from the market in a quick, efficient, and safe manner.
How do you start your day at Optiver?
I start my day with coffee in the morning from our amazing in-house barista. From there, I check slack and my emails. Then I check that everything is running as normal and there are no problems. At 9:30 am, my team has a short stand up where we catch up with our projects. Afterwards, I head upstairs for brekkie and officially start my day.
What do you love about your work?
I love that there are plenty of interesting, dynamic, and challenging problems at Optiver and you’ll never be bored of whatever you are working on. You also get a lot of ownership of the work that you do, and you really feel like you are making a meaningful and impactful contribution at work.
Do you have interests outside of work that help you in your role?
Whilst I do enjoy programming as a hobby and love my data science and enjoy scripting things on the side, I think a good work-life balance is important so it’s perfectly fine to keep a distinction between work and your hobbies.
What’s your advice to potential applicants?
No one is across everything and we don’t expect you to know everything when you join. Every day you learn something new at Optiver. Showing that you can learn and improve from your mistakes, and reflect on your past experiences is far more important than knowing everything at a glance!