About Akuna: 

Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions, and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market-maker – meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully, we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies, and mathematical models. 

Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, London, and Singapore. 

What you’ll do as a Senior FPGA Engineer at Akuna: 

We are looking for Senior FPGA Engineers to accelerate various portions of our trading platform. Members of the Hardware Development team will work with cutting-edge FPGA technology and high-performance computing architectures – owning projects end-to-end and making Akuna’s systems faster and smarter. In this role, you will: 

• Own projects - driving project progression from inception, requirements, architecture, design entry, timing closure and verification
• Partner closely with the Low Latency, Trading and other teams to foster and develop ideas that performance 
• Develop and maintain RTL in Verilog/SystemVerilog
• Write and maintain verification environments
• Design optimization for timing closure
• Develop and maintain project documentation 

Qualities that make great candidates: 

• 10+ years of experience in FPGA or ASIC digital logic design – network traffic experience a strong plus
• Deep Verilog/SystemVerilog or VHDL skills
• Solid grasp of static timing analysis, synthesis, and place-and-route tools  
• Familiarity with algorithms, data structures, and verification/unit testing workflows
• Python and Bash scripting fluency
• Enthusiasm for collaboration with other FPGA team members as well as members from software and trading teams
• Open mindedness for novel development approaches and architectures
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering, or related field; master’s degree a plus 
• The ability to react quickly and accurately to rapidly changing market conditions, including the ability to quickly and accurately respond and/or solve math and coding problems are essential functions of the role

In addition to technical skillsets, Akuna values the unique perspectives people can bring to the table to collaboratively solve complex problems and drive Akuna forward. We want everyone to feel empowered to apply. We welcome your application and encourage you to take the first steps toward your future with us!

In accordance with Illinois Equal Pay Act, the minimum base salary starts at $145,000. Exact compensation offered may vary based on many factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and skill set. This role is also eligible for a discretionary performance bonus as part of the total compensation package and includes a comprehensive benefits package that may encompass employer-paid medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, and other benefits. The minimum base salary herein was determined in good faith by Akuna Capital LLC.

DRW is a diversified trading firm with over 3 decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. We value autonomy and the ability to quickly pivot to capture opportunities, so we operate using our own capital and trading at our own risk.

Headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, we trade a variety of asset classes including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities and Energy across all major global markets. We have also leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non-traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital and cryptoassets.

We operate with respect, curiosity and open minds. The people who thrive here share our belief that it’s not just what we do that matters–it's how we do it. DRW is a place of high expectations, integrity, innovation and a willingness to challenge consensus.

We are currently seeking a FPGA Engineer to join one of our trading teams. While DRW has been leveraging FPGA technology for a number of years, you will have the opportunity to build an FPGA application from scratch for an existing team. We’re seeking a candidate that has a strong understanding of software and hardware interaction. This person will participate in the full development lifecycle, including system and block level testing, of low latency high throughput FPGA design.

This role is for the Chicago office only.

Responsibilities: 

• Architect and implement new FPGA applications (synthesis, place & route, static timing analysis, documentation) from the ground up
• Research and evaluate a variety of cutting-edge FPGA hardware and technologies
• Propose creative solutions to overcome FPGA/hardware limitations
• Liaise directly with software and other design teams
• Conduct lab debugging and characterization of new hardware

Candidate Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree or higher, Computer/Electrical Engineering with 3+ years of experience within the field; (Master’s degree or higher also counts for experience)
• Solid Hardware Engineering experience, especially with FPGA
• Highly autonomous with a can-do attitude able to lead an FPGA based project from system requirements to production
• Strong capacity to quickly evaluate FPGA based project feasibility based on hardware limitation
• Strong skills in RTL logic design (Verilog) and verification; 2+ years of experience writing Verilog
• Experience in FPGA design flow including synthesis, place & route , static timing analysis is required
• Experience with the design of system-on-chip (SOC) architectures, memory & processor subsystems, networking, and peripheral interconnect is required
• Knowledge of the TCP/IP stack
• Strong working knowledge of either XILINX or ALTERA FPGA design flow
• Experience with functional verification utilizing high-level methodologies (e.g. System Verilog) is a plus.
• Excellent research and data gathering skills

The annual base salary range for this position is $150,000 to $250,000 depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant skill set. The position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition, DRW offers a comprehensive suite of employee benefits including group medical, pharmacy, dental and vision insurance, 401k (with discretionary employer match), short and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance, health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts.

For more information about DRW's processing activities and our use of job applicants' data, please view our Privacy Notice at https://drw.com/privacy-notice.

California residents, please review the California Privacy Notice for information about certain legal rights at https://drw.com/california-privacy-notice.

#LI-BL1

At Optiver we pride ourselves on being real engineers, not just coders. Our engineers work closely with traders to identify the business problems we face and determine how they should be solved. We apply a disciplined and scientific approach. We engineer simple, well-architected solutions that meet the dynamic needs of our traders. Our passion is to solve problems which really matter to the business, and we take pride in the quality of our solutions.

Hardware Engineers at Optiver build hardware-based trading systems ranging from low latency algorithms to high bandwidth computation. They are responsible for owning all aspects of the development process from ideation to implementation creating bespoke solutions to our complex trading problems. Their systems have little room for failure which add to the stability of the market, not detract from it. Working in close collaboration with software engineers and traders, hardware engineers deeply understand our trading problems and create dynamic, well-architected systems that make an impact in a matter of days and weeks rather than months and years.

What you’ll do: 

• Accelerate network infrastructure and trading system components with high-speed hardware designs.
• Research new low-latency techniques and platforms and identify opportunities for integration with our trading system.
• Work in a multidisciplinary team of traders, software developers, and infrastructure engineers.
• Leverage the best hardware available or build in-house versions to ensure our FPGAs can interface with cutting edge server hardware.
• 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
• A 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:

• A Bachelor’s degree in CE, EE, CS, or related technical field.
• Experience designing, coding, testing, and verifying FPGAs and/or ASICs.
• Experience coding in VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog as well as C or C++.
• Experience with RTL synthesis, writing timing, area, and other relevant constraints.
• Experience with digital simulators and self-checking test benches.
• Experience supporting post-silicon bring-up and debugging a plus.
• Ability to work closely with software developers to rapidly deliver integrated systems.

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.

Optiver Chicago’s culture parallels the energetic city we’re immersed in. Home to the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange, and Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago has established itself as the trading capital of the US. Active on leading US exchanges, Optiver’s Chicago office trades a wide range of products from listed derivatives to cash equities, ETFs, bonds and foreign exchange

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.

Optiver is looking to add FPGA Engineers to its Automated Trading Systems (ATS) team. ATS solve a variety of problems with high degrees of difficulty: managing scarce bandwidth resources, responding to market events with extremely low latency, and automatically pricing diverse sets of financial instruments with near-zero error tolerance. We build systems with little room for failure which add to the stability of the market, not detract from it. These systems must be simple, flexible, and well-architected so they can quickly be changed to meet the dynamic needs of our traders. We already have a team of great engineers, but we need more.

Optiver Hardware Engineers:

• Accelerate network infrastructure and trading system components with high speed hardware designs.
• Research new low-latency techniques and identify opportunities for integration with our trading system.
• Work in a multidisciplinary team of traders, software developers, and infrastructure engineers.
• Leverage the best hardware available, ensuring our FPGAs can interface with cutting edge server hardware.

What you'll need:

• A Bachelor’s degree in CE, EE, CS, or related technical field
• Experience designing FPGAs in VHDL or Verilog. We use VHDL.
• Experience coding in VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, C, or C++
• Experience with digital simulators and self-checking test benches a plus
• Ability to work closely with software developers to rapidly deliver integrated systems.

Who we are:

Optiver is a tech-driven trading firm and leading global market maker. As one of the oldest market making institutions, we are a trusted partner of 70+ exchanges across the globe. Our mission is to constantly improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and acting as a stabilising force no matter the market conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we participate in the safeguarding of healthy and efficient markets for everyone who participates.

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.

Please only apply to one of our Job Postings. At the bottom of the application questions below you'll have the option to indicate if there are any other roles here at Radix that you might be interested in. Please do not submit multiple applications for different positions.  

As part of the FPGA team, you’ll work with cutting-edge technology to improve performance and latency of our systems. As a member of a small and dynamic team, you’ll not only work to solve production issues but also come to the table with new and innovative ideas for automated trading.

Job Functions:

• Design and build new scalable systems
• Maintaining FPGA code
• Use Python for unit testing
• Use model-sim for simulation
• Debug and fix FPGA issues
• Innovate and design solutions that will overcome current limitations 

Key Capabilities:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Architecture, or another closely-related engineering discipline (in the progress of obtaining or has obtained)
• Experience coding in VHDL/verilog
• Proficiency with Python for unit testing
• Used Xilnix and/or Altera FPGAs
• Familiar with Modelsim
• Previously worked on large FPGA stratix V or/and Virtex ultra-scale+ is a plus
• Knowledge of networking protocols:IP,/TCP/UDP etc.
• Highly analytical mindset
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Results oriented, highly flexible, team player
• Can tackle new things without a lot of help; fast learner
• Driven and self-guided
• Ability to function independently and take ownership
• Ability to multitask and iterate quickly towards a better solution

Career Description

Simplex is looking for smart, curious, and driven individuals to join our technology team. Technology at Simplex is the core of the business. We are a technology company, specializing in high speed trading. We are looking for great people to work on all aspects of our trading system. The job will require lots of programming and working on new projects on a regular basis. Will own the entire development life cycle of projects (develop, simulate, image test, deployment).

What will you be doing?

• Designing FPGA logic to support various trading objectives
• Analyzing the results on a day to day basis and looking for methods to speed up designs

Skills and Experience:

• Verilog/System Verilog
• Working on timing closure of designs/experience with STA
• Experience with developing and verifying FPGA designs
• Experience developing low latency applications

Nice to have Skills:

• Experience with Python a plus
• Experience with ASIC designs a plus
• Experience in equity options/financial markets a plus