Software Engineer Intern Winter Jobs in Chicago, IL

As a Software Engineer Intern, you’ll work side-by-side with your mentor and teammates to build real-world applications that power a global trading firm. Your projects will be scoped based on your team’s real needs — not hypothetical tasks — and your mentor will be fully invested in helping you build high-quality software that’s designed to last. You’ll contribute to meaningful projects solving trading problems and improving the performance, reliability, and scalability of our systems — and you’ll see your code hit production in real time.

We operate in one of the most fast-paced and competitive environments in the tech industry. That means no two days are the same, and every day brings new, exciting technical challenges to solve.

What you’ll do:

Our internship is designed for fast thinkers with a critical mindset and a drive to solve tough problems. You’ll experience what it’s like to be a full-time engineer at a leading trading firm – working on projects that push the limits of performance, efficiency, and real-world impact. Mentored by Optiver engineers, our program gives you the opportunity to:

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• Deep dive into trading fundamentals, from theoretical concepts to financial markets, strategies, and cutting-edge technology.
• Collaborate closely with best-in-class engineers, traders, and business teams to develop, test, and ship your code to production.
• Tackle complex, real-world problems to enhance your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Push your limits and accelerate your growth in a fascinating and high-performing environment.

What you’ll get:

You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem-solvers. Motivated by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, collectively tackling some of the toughest challenges in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries
• A highly-competitive internship compensation package
• Optiver-covered flights, living accommodations, and commuting stipends
• Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and snacks, regular social events, clubs, sporting leagues and more

Who you are:

• A student pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD in Computer Science or Computer Engineering
• On track to graduate between December 2026 to June 2027, with junior standing or higher
• Passionate for writing clean code, well-architected systems, and continuous improvement
• Proficient in coding languages such as C++, Python, or Java
• A student with strong engineering instincts and a solid understanding of computer science fundamentals
• Driven by an entrepreneurial mindset and curious about how tech powers the financial industry
• A natural problem-solver with a sharp, analytical approach to tackling challenges
• A collaborative teammate comfortable working with developers, traders and business teams

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.

We accept one application per role per year. If you have previously applied to this position during this season and have been unsuccessful, you can reapply once the next recruitment season begins in 2026.

Below is the expected compensation for this position. This is a good-faith estimate of the base pay scale and sign-on bonus 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 the benefits listed above.

Base Salary Range $60,000—$70,000 USD