Optiver reviews

3.8

63% would recommend to a friend

(103 total reviews)

63% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

103 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

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3.0
Jan 11, 2018

Business Operations

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flat Structure Great Office Good Food and Company Trips Great Compensation Great Teambuilding Events Fun Smart People Opportunity to learn and develop new skills in a great environment

Cons

Team leads and managers have inconsistent skills as managers--sometimes making it hard to evaluate your performance. Also, because of that fact, people stop trusting their managers.

4.0
Jan 7, 2018

One of the best

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Junior level (<5 years) compensation is extremely competitive. The best (or at least top 3) on most products that we trade. Smart people with not that much ego. Pretty transparent bonus structure encourages people to help each other, promoting a friendly culture compared to other silo-ed firms (etc. Jump)

Cons

Not that much upside for the best guys - some talented traders are moving to other competitors to get paid more. In contrast, there are also some people who can't get paid not even half of what they get paid at Optiver if they leave, hence lowering the morale. Not much incentive for shareholders to take risk (e.g. exploring new products - cryptos, equity options, swaps and swaptions, etc) The best traders don't always make the best managers (see what happened at Intel vs IBM), but there is no choice because managers get paid more. Reviews are getting little obscure as traders get more specialized, and its hard to compare apples and oranges.

5.0
Dec 28, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I have worked at two large and successful companies and one smaller government position since graduating college. Working at these other companies really lets me appreciate working at Optiver and all the benefits therein. Compensation - salary, bonus, health insurance, 25 vacation days on top of all the market holidays, and the dollar for dollar 401k match make the compensation is top tier. Culture - incredibly strong culture. Almost everyone working here checks their ego at the door and the best ideas win. The focus is on long term growth and doing the right things not only for Optiver but for the market. Executives /leadership - The people steering the ship at Optiver not only have great vision and insight they know their employees and hang out and have a beer on Fridays after work. Outlook - Amazing outlook and growth. Optiver Chicago is the best at pricing options on the SP500 complex globally. Seeing the current trend of money moving into passive index funds Optiver is poised to keep growing even in a low volatility market. Work/life balance - The after hour and weekend work here is very limited and much less than when I worked at other large companies. You are treated like a person here and if you have a family emergency people will go out of their way to cover for you. Perks - Coffee barista, catered breakfast and lunch, huge variety of snacks and drinks, ping pong table, pool table, weekly massage, beer and wine available after work. All free.

Cons

Optiver is flat organization. Overall I think being flat is better but it could feel like growth is limited. You have to work at a high level each and everyday. Once again I feel like this is a benefit. If you are not performing over a sustained period you will eventually get cut but this makes Optiver stronger as there is no dead weight.

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