Summer Intern - Strategy

The OCC•Chicago, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategy team is part of OCC's Product Management organization and defines, prioritizes, and delivers enhancements to OCC's clearing platforms. Working as an Agile Scrum team, it uses Jira to manage backlogs and sprint execution and Confluence for documentation, roadmaps, and requirements. The team collaborates with Engineering, Risk, Operations, and QA to translate business needs into user stories and ensure its work aligns with regulatory requirements and market participant needs. It also evaluates industry trends, competitive positioning, and emerging needs in derivatives clearing to inform product strategy and the roadmap. The intern will support active sprint execution alongside Product Owners and contribute research and analysis for product strategy discussions. The 12-week Summer Internship Program runs either May through August or June through September and is open to undergraduate and graduate students actively enrolled at a college or university. Interns work up to 40 hours per week in a hybrid work environment; overtime is not permitted. OCC operates under a Hybrid Work Program that generally requires employees to work from an OCC office at least three days per week, including Tuesday and Wednesday as anchor days. Employees meeting performance expectations are generally permitted to work remotely two other days per week. Remote work is generally expected to be performed from the employee's state of residence, and international work while traveling is generally not permitted. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Interns and seasonal interns are eligible only for paid sick leave accrued based on hours worked; no other benefits, including a technology stipend, apply.

Requirements

Be a rising senior or second-year graduate student graduating in December 2027 or May/August 2028.
Be actively enrolled at a college or university.
Have a strong interest in product management, financial technology, or capital markets.
Have familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodology; coursework, certification, or prior experience is acceptable.
Have a basic understanding of Jira and Confluence or willingness to learn them quickly.
Have strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Be detail-oriented and able to manage multiple priorities.

Nice To Haves

Prior internship or coursework experience in product management, business analysis, or software development.
Exposure to financial markets, derivatives, clearing, or post-trade processing; this is a plus, not required.
Experience with data analysis tools such as Excel, SQL, or Tableau.
Interest in product strategy, market research, or competitive analysis.
Desired majors include Business, Finance, Information Systems, or Computer Science.

Responsibilities

Support the creation and refinement of user stories, acceptance criteria, and backlog items in Jira.
Assist in maintaining product documentation, roadmaps, and meeting notes in Confluence.
Participate in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
Help prioritize the product backlog with Product Owners based on business value and stakeholder input.
Conduct research and gather requirements from internal stakeholders, including Operations, Risk, and Technology.
Support competitive analysis, market research, and other inputs to product strategy initiatives.
Track sprint progress, help identify blockers, and support reporting on team velocity and delivery metrics.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, QA, and design, to ensure alignment on product goals.
Assist in preparing presentations or summaries for leadership on product updates and strategic recommendations.