Expressions of Interest - FutureFocus Sydney 2026

Ready to kickstart your career in one of the world's leading tech-driven trading firms? 

Join FutureFocus, our immersive five-day program designed to ignite your potential as a future developer, trader or researcher at Optiver.  

Dive into the fundamentals of trading, gain unique insights into Optiver’s cutting-edge trading systems and build the key skills that our teams use every day. 

Please note, our formal applications for FutureFocus opportunities are currently closed. We are seeking expressions of interest for our September 2026 campaign and would love to hear from you! Please complete this application to join our 'Talent Community' so that we can keep you up to date with suitable upcoming vacancies. 

Plus, if you've excelled in the program, you could receive a direct offer for our 2027/28 Summer Internship Program. 

• Eligible for pre-penultimate university students (graduating in 2028 or 2029) 

• Program dates: September 2026

• Where: Optiver Sydney office* 

Note: If you reside outside of Sydney, Optiver will cover your travel and accommodation costs. 

What you'll do 

Led by former traders and engineers, our renowned in-house education team will guide you through the intricacies of market making. You will be immersed in a mix of hands-on and classroom learning, empowering you to thrive in the world of trading and technology. 

As part of the FutureFocus program, you’ll have the opportunity to: 

• Kickstart your journey as a developer and explore our tech career pathways. Discover the cutting-edge techniques that keep us at the forefront of the global financial markets and see our world-class trading systems in action. 

• Learn the core fundamentals of trading and build trading strategies for deployment in a virtual market. 

• Connect with recent graduates and hear their personal experiences. 

• Receive mentorship and support from our in-house trainers and senior developers, who are committed to ensuring you have the guidance and support needed to succeed. 

• Experience Optiver's culture and enjoy our incredible perks, including daily breakfast, lunch and coffee, weekly massages and more. 

Who You Are 

• A pre-penultimate university student, graduating in 2028 or 2029. All degree backgrounds are considered. 

• An Australian or New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent resident, or able to provide evidence of full working rights. 

• An inquisitive thinker, with a passion for quantitative problems and working in collaborative, dynamic environments. 

• Holds superior quantitative and logical reasoning skills, and enjoys working on an array of problems, with a strong focus on results. 

• Excited to test yourself in one of the most dynamic areas of the financial market. 

 Applying for the program 

The FutureFocus program offers two streams: Technology or Trading and Research. To help you choose the stream that aligns with your interests, please find more information below. Please note that you can only apply for one stream. 

Technology

Our Software and FPGA Developers play a critical role in executing successful trades. Driven by the desire to find the simplest solutions to the most complex problems, they design and build high performance systems that solve real business problems. Check out Brenda’s ‘Day in the Life’ story to learn more. 

Trading and Research

Our Traders make trading decisions based on market conditions and other factors. They’re driven and have a flair for analytical problem solving. Check out Will’s ‘Day in the life’ story to learn more. 

Our Researchers collaborate closely with traders and developers to build and improve our trading strategies. Read Rob’s story to discover how he develops and tests hypotheses that drive improvements in the execution, speed and success of our trading systems, in the Performance Research team. 

Ready to kickstart your career with Optiver? Submit your expression of interest for FutureFocus to ignite your potential today. 

Diversity statement  

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds, and welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities. 

Questions? Get in touch with our team at careers@optiver.com.au.