Not every summer internship includes involvement in high-impact projects.
But at fintech firm Wolverine Trading — where the average employee tenure is nine-and-a-half years, according to the company — internship success stories are ample, with many interns-turned-employees having a lasting mark on the organization.
“Interns have worked with experienced engineers on large-scale test harnesses, exchange gateways, analysis and backtests to help inform trading decisions and better management of automated trading systems and views into risk,” noted one teammate.
The firm is actively seeking data science, quantitative trading and software engineering candidates for the summer’s three-month program. While the kinds of internships vary in scope, they endeavor to set up aspiring fintech pros for success. Here’s the scoop on the opportunities at hand.
The Internship
Boasting a flat organization and mentorship from senior staff members, the three-month internship program at Wolverine Trading aims to provide intensive and engaging training for motivated and innovative interns.
While the work is done in a collaborative environment within the office, the firm plans company events, team-building activities and other notable perks outside their Loop headquarters.
PERKS AND BENEFITS
- 100% company-paid modern apartment located only blocks from the office.
- Complimentary gym memberships, company-provided CTA pass to get around the city, and free breakfast and lunch made fresh by in-house chefs.
- Company outings and social events, including baseball games, beach volleyball tournaments, monthly company parties, Whirlyball and architectural boat tours.
- In-house education opportunities, including an Options 101 course and a mock-trading class.
Software Engineering
The role: C++ and C# are mainstays in the software engineering world — and, at Wolverine, it’s the languages that interns will primarily use to develop trading applications. In doing so, they sharpen their coding abilities while effecting impact on operations.
Engineering Insight: “We don’t give you any fluff work as a software engineering intern,” Recruiting Manager Sarah Mueller said. “You’ll work on projects a full-time software engineer would get, with guidance from our team along the way. These projects that will actually go into development, and many of our intern projects are still a part of how we operate today.”
Learning the Ropes
Quantitative Trading
The role: What’s it take to drive profits? Making sense of market trends and cultivating the appropriate strategies. Quantitative trading interns help do just that under the guidance of junior- and senior-level traders, tapping into advanced statistics and machine learning to chart the options trading ecosystem.
Trading tutelage: “The traders and managers who took the time to show me their role in the firm helped me develop into a well-rounded and effective trader down the road,” a trader told Built In Chicago.
Making the Grade
Data Science
The role: Traders feed off of insights to inform strategy. That’s where data science comes in. Working with the firm’s cluster computing tech in an A/B testing setting, interns on this team navigate machine learning, statistics and data engineering to help analyze algorithms while picking up essential knowledge in outlier analysis, parameter tuning and other areas.
Company insight: “The firm prioritizes integrity, most recognizably in the interpersonal relationships we build with other Wolverines,” an analyst told Built In Chicago.
So, what does it take?
