Ready to accelerate your engineering career in just five days? At Optiver, engineers build the systems powering millions of trades a day across the globe: from core low-latency platforms, machine learning research pipelines, to real-time execution workflows. The challenges are complex, the impact is immediate, and the learning never stops. Career Kickstarter: Tech is a five-day, all-expenses-paid program designed for students eager to explore the engineering challenges of building mission-critical trading systems that keep global markets moving. Hosted at our Amsterdam headquarters, you’ll work through hands-on coding sessions, system design workshops and a collaborative engineering project that mirrors the work of our engineers. Top performers will be considered for a direct offer to join Optiver as a&nbsp;Graduate Software Engineer. <ul><li>When: May 11-15, 2026</li><li>Where: Optiver’s Amsterdam Headquarters</li><li>Application&nbsp;deadline: February 23, 2026, at 17:00 CET</li></ul> <h2>What you’ll do</h2> A week of building, learning and engineering at scale. Throughout the program, our full-time Education Team will be there to mentor you, offering guidance and feedback designed to accelerate your development.Learning and skill development:<ul><li>Hands-on engineering:&nbsp;Work on a real engineering project that challenges you to design, build and iterate as part of a real engineering team.</li><li>Technical exploration:&nbsp;Join lectures and panel sessions with senior engineers to explore potential career paths and understand how real systems are designed, built and improved.</li><li>Systems thinking:&nbsp;Take part in system design workshops to learn how high-performance systems are architected, optimised and scaled.</li><li>Pathway to a career:&nbsp;Demonstrate your potential during the program, and you may be considered for a direct offer to join Optiver as a Graduate Software Engineer.</li></ul>Culture and perks:<ul><li>Industry insights:&nbsp;Gain a deeper understanding of the industry and build the confidence needed to excel in a high-performance environment.</li><li>Cultural immersion:&nbsp;Get a taste of Optiver’s incredible company culture and take advantage of our perks and benefits firsthand, including daily breakfast, lunch, coffee and more.</li><li>Amsterdam up close:&nbsp;Picture your future career based in our vibrant city, sampling a taste of life in the historic Dutch capital.</li><li>Hotel &amp; travel:&nbsp;Enjoy a comfortable stay with fully covered accommodation and travel expenses, allowing you to focus on making the most of the program.</li></ul>

Germany

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Career Kickstarter: Tech

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Graduation year

After February 2026

May 2024- February 2026

Before May 2024

English

Are you studying Econometrics or a STEM Degree and planning to graduate between May 2025 and February 2027? Ready to fast-track your trading career before you graduate? Join Optiver's online webinar to learn about our Career Kickstarter Trading programme that could lead to a full time trading graduate role. 

In this webinar you will:
• Gain exclusive insights into our Career Kickstarter application process.
• Meet Optiver’s traders and past programme participants

About the Career Kickstarter programme:

Discover if a career in trading is right for you in this immersive 5-day program in Optiver's Amsterdam office for students graduating between 2025-2027.

Get ready for:

•	Hands-on experience at a leading trading firm
•	Personalised mentorship from industry experts
•	Build, test, and refine your own trading strategies
•	All-expenses-covered stay in Amsterdam

Choose your preferred programme date when you apply: 2–6 March or 9–13 March, 2026.

Application deadline: 1 December 2025

Prove to be a good match and you may receive a full-time trading job offer.

Register for this webinar to gain exclusive access to more programme insights!

Computer science

Finance

Mathematics

Physics

Master

Bachelor

Optiver Career Kickstarter- from Student to Trader in 5 Days

Are you studying Econometrics or a STEM Degree and planning to graduate by February 2026? Ready to fast-track your trading career before you graduate? Join Optiver's online webinar to learn about our Career Kickstarter Trading programme that could lead to a full time trading graduate role. 

In this webinar you will:
• Gain exclusive insights into our Career Kickstarter application process.
• Meet Optiver’s traders and past programme participants

About the Career Kickstarter programme:

Discover if a career in trading is right for you in this immersive 5-day program in Optiver's Amsterdam office for students graduating between 2024-2026.

Get ready for:

•	Hands-on experience at a leading trading firm
•	Personalised mentorship from industry experts
•	Build, test, and refine your own trading strategies
•	All-expenses-covered stay in Amsterdam

Choose your preferred programme date when you apply: 3–7 March or 7–11 April, 2025

Application deadline: January 2025

Prove to be a good match and you may receive a full-time trading job offer.

Register for this webinar to gain exclusive access to more programme insights!

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Delft University of Technology

University of Twente

University of Amsterdam

Ready to accelerate your engineering career in just five days?

Join Optiver's online webinar to learn about our Career Kickstarter - Tech programme that could lead to a full time software engineering graduate role. 

In this webinar you will:
• Gain exclusive insights into our Career Kickstarter application process.
• Meet Optiver’s software engineering, education, and recruitment team
 
About the Career Kickstarter programme:
Discover if a career in software engineering is right for you in this immersive 5-day program in Optiver's Amsterdam office for students or working professionals graduating between 2024-2027.
 
Get ready for:
• Hands-on experience at a leading trading firm
• Personalised mentorship from industry experts
• Work on a real engineering project that challenges you to design, build and iterate as part of a real engineering team
• All-expenses-covered stay in Amsterdam
 
The programme takes place on May 11-15, 2026.
Application deadline: 23 February 2026
 
Prove to be a good match and you may receive a full-time software engineering job offer. Register for this webinar to gain exclusive access to more programme insights!

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 Optiver Career Kickstarter — From Curious Coder to Software Engineer in 5 Days

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