Hardware Engineer

Austin is home to Optivers’ hardware research, development and manufacturing department. We build some of the world’s most competitive trading hardware using a wide variety of technologies, from fiber optics to custom silicon, from software to antennas - and everything in between.

We’re growing fast and are looking to expand our team with an experienced hardware engineer who deeply understands the complexities of designing and realizing high speed, high density systems and boards. Our systems push the limits of what’s possible, so we’re looking for creative thinkers who can oversee the big picture and who are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone and explore novel approaches.

What you'll do

• Design, realize, test, bring up and manufacture custom hardware (mostly PCBs)
• Schematic capture, PCB layout, Simulation (Spice, Ansys SiWave HFSS etc.)
• Write the initial bring up code (C/Python/VHDL) for the hardware
• Interpret Eye Diagram/BERT results and correlate lab and production measurements to simulations
• Create test plans and engineering requirements specifications
• Debug issues as they come up
• Research new ways of improving our system’s performance (latency, scale, thermals) and how our trading requirements can be realized
• Work in a multidisciplinary team of traders, researchers, software (FPGA, firmware, application), mechanical and infrastructure engineers
• Own your designs from concept to production
• Manage relationships with 3rd party vendors

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
• Highly competitive compensation package
• Global profit-sharing pool and 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

Requirements:

• BS in electrical or computer engineering, Master or Ph.D. preferred
• 5+ years of industry experience
• Advanced ECAD skills for schematic and layout creation in one of the following: Altium, Mentor Graphics, Cadence or equivalent.
• Proficiency in signal and power integrity SIPI best practices
• End-to-end product development experience, concept through release.
• Expertise with one or more high speed interfaces, and the protocols running on top, such as: PCIe Gen3-6, USB3/4, 10/25G Ethernet.
• Experience with low speed communications both in hardware and software, such as: I2C, SPI, JTAG, USB etc
• Experience validating high speed interfaces using: TDRs, sampling and real-time oscilloscopes
• Know how to read and write Python

The following experiences are nice to have:

• Familiarity with the Ethernet (IEEE 802.3)
• Data center, or consumer electronics design experience
• Software engineering skills such as C/C++/
• RTL skills: VHDL/Verilog
• Experience supporting post-silicon bring-up and debugging

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.

Based in ‘The Domain’ neighborhood, Optiver’s Austin office serves as the firm’s innovation nucleus, with a strong focus on quantitative research, software and hardware engineering initiatives. With tech innovation an integral part of our core business, the booming city proved an ideal backdrop for our heavy investment into machine learning, research infrastructure and big data computing. What’s more, with world-class music, food and art scenes, as well as countless scenic outdoor activities, the quality of life for Austin Optiverians is second to none.

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.