Software Engineer - Retail Execution

Optiver • Chicago, IL

9h

About The Position

You’ll work at the center of our interaction with retail order flow, building systems that decide how millions of orders are priced, routed, and executed in real time. This role sits directly alongside traders and researchers, owning problems end-to-end—from exchange connectivity and routing logic to pricing, risk checks, and monitoring. You’ll operate across the full stack, balancing performance, correctness, and adaptability in a fast-moving market environment. At Optiver we pride ourselves on being real engineers, not just coders. Our engineers work closely with traders to identify the business problems we face and determine how they should be solved. We apply a disciplined and scientific approach. We engineer simple, well-architected solutions that meet the dynamic needs of our traders. Our passion is to solve problems which really matter to the business, and we take pride in the quality of our solutions.

Requirements

• Experience leading complex, large-scale engineering projects.
• Strong computer science fundamentals and sound engineering judgment.
• Ability to balance innovative thinking with practical execution.
• Proficient in systems-level programming (e.g., C, C++, Linux).
• A mindset of continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to set technical direction, uphold engineering standards, and take ownership of outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Design and build real-time order routing and execution systems handling high volumes of retail flow.
• Work closely with trading and research to optimize execution quality (fill rates, slippage, speed).
• Improve resiliency, observability, and risk controls across the execution stack.
• Analyze production behavior and implement data-driven improvements to routing and execution strategies.
• Own systems end-to-end, from design and deployment to monitoring and iteration.

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees