Hardware Engineer Intern, Summer 2027

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, Singapore and London.  

What you’ll do as a Hardware Engineer Intern on the FPGA Team at Akuna: 

We are seeking Hardware Engineer Interns to join our innovative and growing technology team for our 10-week Akunacademy summer internship program. You will join our FPGA Team and work alongside our experienced Hardware and C++ Software Engineers to design and implement elegant solutions to complex and interesting problems. Each intern takes full ownership of their project, and at the end of the program, has the opportunity to present their work and accomplishments.  

As an intern, you’ll use cutting-edge technology to work on high performance, low latency systems, collaborating with team members to investigate and create automated trading algorithms. You’ll work on high-performance computing systems to push the boundaries of speed snd performance, contributing to high-profile work that directly impacts the company’s bottom line.  

Requirements for this role: 

• Pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field 

• Graduating by August 2029 

• GPA of 3.5 or above 

• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required on the first day of employment including F-1 students using CPT, OPT or STEM 

 Previous experience in finance or trading is not required. Many of our engineers joined Akuna with little-to-no prior knowledge of the markets, and we pride ourselves on our ability to onboard those new to the industry. Training and continuous education are provided for all engineers to ensure they can build the requisite technical and non-technical skillset for success. 

Qualities that make great candidates for the FPGA team: 

• Knowledge of digital logic circuit design, using Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL 

• Strong analytic and problem-solving skills 

• 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, is an essential function of the role 

• Can create an easily understood and testable design that can change as quickly as the market does 

• Passion for innovation and building systems from the ground up 

 **Resumes must be submitted in PDF format. 

In addition to the above technical skills, Akuna values diversity of experience and perspective. We believe that engineers with varied backgrounds and interests allow us to approach problems from unique angles and to uncover innovative, optimal solutions. We want everyone to feel empowered to apply; we welcome your application, and we strongly encourage you to take the first steps in joining us in the future! 

By applying to this role, you are indicating this is your top preference and acknowledge you will not be considered for other Quant and/or Tech roles at Akuna this recruiting season. This acknowledgement does not limit applications to Trading roles - in addition to this role, you may apply to any Trader roles of interest.  

We are an AI-friendly company and encourage employees to leverage AI in their daily work. However, AI assistance is not permitted during interviews or assessments. Our interview process is designed to evaluate your individual skills and judgment, and the use of AI tools will result in disqualification from the hiring process.

In accordance with the Illinois Equal Pay Act, the minimum annualized 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. The minimum base salary herein was determined in good faith by Akuna Capital LLC.