Akuna Capital Graduate Programs & Internships
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The Akuna Capital Story
Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data-driven solutions and automation. We specialise 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. At Akuna we pride our…
Application Process
The steps in your recruitment process are:
- Think about what roles you’d be best suited for
- Trading Team - A successful trading applicant at Akuna is someone who has strong maths skills, is keen to learn about options market making, enjoys challenging peers in mock trading games & is open to taking risks and making quick decisions based on live market conditions.
- Quantitative Team - Our Quantitative team at Akuna is split into Quant Traders, Quant Researchers and Quant Developers. A successful quant applicant at Akuna is someone who has both mathematic and coding skills. You will learn about data modelling, design trading strategies and explore new research topics through training, mentoring and real projects.
- Development Team - A successful dev applicant at Akuna is someone who has strong coding skills and are able to…
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Search for jobsGraduate Program
Program Dates:
August 2023 (Trading Only) and February 2024
Joining Akuna as a Graduate you will be part of a structured training program and assigned a manager and buddy. Your manager will work closely with you to set goals; ensure you're learning and set you up to succeed.
After your first year we offer opportunities to transfer to our international offices in Chicago, Shanghai and Europe. At Akuna we pride ourselves on being a young, fast-growing company. We are looking for ambitious people who want to make a real impact, and progress quickly in their careers.
About Us
Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions and automation. We specialise 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. At Akuna we have a flat structure, where the best idea wins.
Our Founding Partners, including our CEO Andrew Killion, first conceptualised Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened our first office in 2011 in Chicago, the heart of the derivatives & options industry. Akuna then expanded to Sydney in 2018 to be the centre of our Asian trading operations. We are currently trading HK, Korea, cryptocurrencies and US night markets and are excited for expansions into all the major Asian exchanges. We also have offices in Shanghai and Boston.
Application Process
The steps in your recruitment process are:
- Think about what roles you’d be best suited for
- Trading Team - A successful trading applicant at Akuna is someone who has strong maths skills, is keen to learn about options market making, enjoys challenging peers in mock trading games & is open to taking risks and making quick decisions based on live market conditions.
- Quantitative Team - Our Quantitative team at Akuna is split into Quant Traders, Quant Researchers and Quant Developers. A successful quant applicant at Akuna is someone who has both mathematic and coding skills. You will learn about data modelling, design trading strategies and explore new research topics through training, mentoring and real projects.
- Development Team - A successful dev applicant at Akuna is someone who has strong coding skills and are able to advance their technical coding skills through real projects, learn about our internal systems, participate in code reviews, and is a creative problem solver.
- Everyone at Akuna is a great team player, communicator and is entrepreneurial- these are the skills we look for in our new hires too!
- Apply online
Answer a few questions and submit your resume to a role that interests you and is most suited towards your skill set.
- Online testing
Dependent on the role you apply for, you will be required to take a math based test and/or coding challenge.
- Technical Interview
Successful applicants will then move onto a technical interview conducted over zoom with a team member from Akuna.
- Final Round
Successful applicants will be progress to a series of final round interviews with a few members from the team, conducted over zoom or in-person.
Summer Internship
Program Dates:
Dec 2023 - Feb 2024
Our Akunacademy Internship Program is offered during the summer across our three main teams:
- Trading Interns: learn about options market making, challenge peers in mock trading games & participate in live trading.
- Development Interns: advance their technical skills through real projects, learning about our internal systems, participate in code reviews, and receive mentoring.
- Quant Interns: learn about data modelling, design trading strategies and exploring new research topics through training, mentoring and real projects.
Why Join Us?
At Akuna, we believe that the people are the centre of everything we do.
Our Sydney office has a start-up feel with around 100 people, which means you really get to know the team! We are expanding rapidly and looking for the best talent to join us on this journey. If you enjoy being part of smart, driven teams with real challenges to solve- this could be the place for you!
Perks & Benefits
We have an in house barrista (so free coffee). We run social poker competitions, office happy hours, have a fully stacked breakfast and snack room, host social events, go on company trips, have social clubs, and offer great training with our Akuna University.
Trading Winternships
Program Dates:
Intake 1: Monday 15th - Friday 26th May 2023
Intake 2: Monday 3rd - Friday 14th July 2023
Akuna is offering an industry first two-week, paid winter internship program for pre-penultimate students. We want to teach Trading on a first-principles basis. You will learn to think practically like a Trader through our exclusive training program, which is designed to develop your intuition for markets and evaluation of risk and reward.
Diversity & Inclusion
We hold celebratory lunches and have office events that celebrate diversity and culture regularly in the office! From cultural holiday lunches to Akuna Women’s Dinners - Akuna regularly supports fundraising opportunities through our clubs and office events. More recently, we sponsored the Bloomberg Square Mile and had our annual Movember fundraising initiatives.
Akuna Sydney also supports the work of The Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN); who work with a group of over 200 low socio-economic status schools to address educational disadvantage through structured mentoring at Akuna every year.
Our Akuna mentors support the development of students’ skills and mindsets, confidence, and aspiration, so they can achieve more than they thought was possible. This is an opportunity at Akuna to get involved and inspire the next generation.
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Life & Culture
The name “Akuna” derives from the Australian Aboriginal word meaning “flowing water,” a word that exists in no other language.
Values
RAPID INNOVATION THROUGH NEW TECHNOLOGIES | COLLABORATIVE FLOW OF KNOWLEDGE |
A THIRST FOR INDIVIDUAL GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY |
Perks & Benefits
Free In-House Barista Coffees Akuna's in-house Baristas will provide you with free unlimited coffee and drinks! We also have a fully stocked kitchen with breakfast and a snack bar. | Akuna Social Clubs Akuna offers regular social events and a variety of social clubs including Tennis club, Bouldering Club, Tea Enjoyers Club and Running Club. These clubs have regular external meet-ups run by Akuna. | ||
Akuna University We offer classes and learning opportunities through our Akuna University program. This means access to webinars and regular lunch and learn events to promote companywide knowledge sharing. | Stunning 180 Degree Views Enjoy a drink with our office-wide Friday happy hour, whilst looking out on the 180-degree view of Barangaroo and Darling Harbour. |
Videos
Jodie
Junior Trader
Bachelor Science (Honours) & Advanced Mathematics
I honestly had so much fun learning from, and working with, other employees at Akuna. I also made friends with some amazing interns and juniors. I have never met a group of people who are so ambitious and competitive, yet so supportive of each other.
I grew up in Adelaide and was a very happy child, taking an interest in everything and anything. I was fortunate to attend Seymour College, where the all-girls environment inspired me to believe that I could do anything I wanted.
This supportive environment was crucial when…
Lumina
Junior Quantitative Developer
Bachelor of Science - Mathematics and Computer Science
Akuna is always looking for smart, driven problem solvers who are passionate in the work that Akuna does, so if you can show an interviewer that then you have a good shot.
What is your story?
I was originally born in Sri-Lanka then moved to England at the age of two where I lived until I moved to Western Australia. As a child I always loved problem solving and mathematics, so when I was introduced to competitive programming by my math teacher, I was instantly hooked by the type of problems it introduced. It was through co…
Cressida Liu
Winter Trading Intern
7:00 am
Time to wake up! Sunrise isn't for another 40 minutes, but I hop out of bed to change into the running clothes I laid out the night before. I chuck on my joggers and head out for a 20-minute run to wake up (I'm trying to cut back on caffeine!). After I get back home there's just enough time for a quick shower, and I change into something comfortable before heading out the door at 7:45.
8:00 am
I hop on the train and use this time to go over a couple of the concepts we learnt yesterday, quizzing myself on gamma hedging but also occasionally enjoying the v…
Akuna Options Trading 101 course
Akuna Capital specialises in providing liquidity as an options market-maker. We offer this course to individuals that are interested in learning the intricacies of options theory.
The Trading 101 Course allows you to learn the basics of pay-off diagrams which are the tools for visualising the profits and losses from option contracts at expiration. It also dives into historical and implied volatility and breaks down how this measure of price movement is calculated and how it relates to option prices.
And lastly, this course allows you to explore option screen basics by watching videos that explain what options market-maker look at while trading the markets.
Akuna Virtual Reality Experience
Visit Akuna office virtually here! Take a 360-degree tour of the Chicago headquarters while hearing from our employees. The virtual reality experience includes an immersive simulator which showcase a “day in the life” of an Akuna Trader, Quant and Developer.