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Operational Risk Analyst

OptiverChicago, IL, USAOn-site6 hours ago

  • Full-Time

  • $100k - $130k/yr (Verified by employer)

  • May sponsor international talent

About the job

Optiver is seeking an Operational Risk Analyst to help evolve how we understand, measure, and manage operational risk in a highly automated trading environment. The ideal candidate has a strong analytical and technical foundation and is motivated by solving complex problems at the intersection of trading, technology, and risk.

This is a second line role, responsible for providing independent risk oversight and challenge while working closely with first-line teams. In this role, you will work with Trading, Technology, and other departments across the company to strengthen operational risk management, including the use of data, analytics, and AI where appropriate. You will also help shape how risk appetite is defined and translated into Optiver’s risk and control framework. Your contributions will play a key role as the business continues to scale and in realizing our long-term strategic vision.

You will work on the trading floor, building a deep understanding of how people, systems, and processes interact under real trading conditions. The role primarily supports the US business, while also contributing to the development of global risk capabilities in partnership with colleagues in the Europe and APAC.

You will be empowered to contribute directly; own problems end to end and help shape how operational risk frameworks scale alongside Optiver’s automation and growth.

What You’ll Do As an Operational Risk Analyst, your key responsibilities include:

  • Analyze operational events and incidents to identify patterns, indicators, and emerging risks across trading and technology

  • Design, implement, and continuously improve risk and control frameworks

  • Contribute to translating risk appetite into practical indicators, thresholds, and escalation criteria

  • Develop and maintain risk reporting, dashboards, and metrics that provide clear visibility into risk exposure and control performance for senior management

  • Partner with Trading, Engineering, and other teams to ensure controls and risk signals are appropriately embedded in systems and processes

  • Lead and support incident reviews and retrospectives, focusing on root causes and sustainable improvements

What You’ll Get

  • The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals from over 40 different countries

  • Highly competitive compensation package including performance-based bonus structure

  • 401(k) match up to 50%

  • Comprehensive health, mental, dental, vision, disability, and life coverage

  • 25 paid vacation days alongside market holidays

  • Extensive office perks, including breakfast, lunch, and snacks, regular social events, clubs, sporting leagues, and more

Who You Are

  • Experience in a similar area or sector, with basic knowledge of financial exchanges and instruments; prior experience in market making, algorithmic trading, or proprietary trading is a plus

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a STEM field, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline

  • Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with a keen eye for detail

  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

  • A mindset geared toward continuous improvement, with high standards for personal performance

Who We Are At Optiver, our mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and stabilising the market no matter the conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we prioritise 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.
Below is the expected base salary for this position. This is a good-faith estimate of the base pay scale 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 a discretionary bonus (if determined by Optiver) and Optiver’s benefits package with the benefits listed above. Base Salary Range
$100,000—$130,000 USD

About the company

Optiver
Create better access and prices for all – that’s our goal for financial markets the world over. As a leading global electronic market maker, we are dedicated to our mission of continuously improving the market. It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. It’s the driving force behind our business. Even in times of extreme volatility, we stay the course. Resolute in our belief that the market should always be liquid for economies to thrive.As one of the oldest market-making institutions, we’re a trusted partner of exchanges. Our contribution to them ensures they remain stable, transparent and competitive. We provide liquidity to financial markets using our own capital, at our own risk, trading a wide range of products: listed derivatives, cash equities, ETFs, bonds, and foreign currencies.We strongly believe in the positive power of the world’s markets. That’s why we’re committed to leading the way in market making for environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) products.Optiver is a global company with offices in Amsterdam, Sydney, Chicago, Austin, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, London and Singapore.