FPGA Engineer Intern

Optiver FPGA Engineers build hardware systems where nanoseconds matter. Their work spans highly parallel algorithms, low-level networking and latency-critical applications that operate in live markets. They work closely with traders, software engineers and researchers to understand how trading strategies behave in production, then turn that context into systems that are fast, reliable and efficient.

Optiver is building with cutting edge AI technology in the most competitive, data rich landscapes in the world: financial markets. That means no two days are the same, and every day brings new, exciting technical challenges to solve.

What you’ll do

Get ready for a ten-week internship where you’ll be immersed in the systems behind Optiver’s trading. As Optiver’s FPGA Engineer Intern, you’ll own a project connected to our live trading systems, experiencing tight feedback loops and shipping your code to production alongside our Engineers and Traders. You’ll work side-by-side with your mentor to build latency-critical applications, parallel systems and networking interfaces, giving you a clear view of how low-level engineering decisions connect to trading outcomes. You’ll tackle real issues that will test your critical thinking and problem-solving acumen, and each day will bring new challenges that require fresh perspectives. It’s an opportunity to accelerate your knowledge while contributing to systems that operate in live markets.

You will also have the chance to join industry lectures to learn about trading and our other departments to gain a complete understanding of Optiver and our business. Don’t worry, you won’t be expected to have previous knowledge of the financial industry – you’ll be educated and upskilled by our world-class trainers in order to hit the ground running.

Examples of potential projects that you could be working on:

• Supporting new networking protocols – think 25G and 100G interfaces

• Developing FPGA applications in close collaboration with our Traders to improve how strategies behave in live markets – where did that nanosecond go?

• Improving the resource usage of our current systems – why use 8 bits when 3 will do?

• Make your mark on our future trading systems by trailblazing new domain areas – from high-precision timestamping to new proprietary inter-system communication protocols

Based on your performance during the internship, you could receive an offer to join our firm full-time after your studies.

What you’ll get

• A highly competitive internship compensation package

• Optiver-covered flights and accommodation in the city centre for the duration of the internship

• Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, world-class barista coffee, bi-weekly massages, Friday afternoon drinks, a bicycle to explore Amsterdam and much more

• The opportunity to participate in sports and leisure activities, along with social events exclusively organised for your intern cohort

Who you are

• Student working toward a Master's degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering or similar, with the ability to work full-time upon graduation in 2028

• Someone with strong engineering instincts and academic experience in digital design with FPGAs or ASICs

• Experienced in writing hardware in VHDL, Verilog or SystemVerilog

• Passionate for clean code, simple well-architected systems and continuous improvement, with a desire to understand how the systems you build fit into our trading activities

• Able to collaborate with developers, traders and business operations

How to Apply:
Apply directly via the form below for the position of FPGA Intern. Please provide us with a CV in English. Unfortunately we cannot accept applications via email for data protection reasons.
If your application is selected to proceed to the next round, you will be required to complete online assessments. By submitting your application you are confirming that you will be able to take the assessment within 7 days.

Kindly note that we do not require any assistance from third-parties including agencies in the recruitment of this role. If you have any questions feel free to contact our Recruitment team via the contact form

Diversity statement

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion.

We encourage applications from candidates from any and all backgrounds, and we welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities. Please let us know if you would like to request any reasonable adjustments by contacting the Recruitment team via the contact form, selecting "Reasonable Adjustments" as the subject of your inquiry.

For answers to some of our most frequently asked questions, refer to our FAQs.

For applicants based in India, our entry route is via the placement office internship hiring season (July/August).

Optiver has a global application re-apply policy for our intern and graduate roles. If you have completed an online assessment or interviewed for a technology graduate or internship role at any Optiver location in the past 8 months, please note that you are not yet eligible to reapply. We welcome you to re-apply after the 8-month cool off period.