Year-Round Intern - Data

To be considered for this position, applications and resumes are accepted only through our careers site by directly applying to the posted job. We do not accept unsolicited resumes or sales solicitations from staffing agencies. Any OCC employee wishing to submit a referral must do so through their Workday account. Any resume submitted outside of an active job posting will not be considered for employment.

Location: Chicago

Internship type: Year-round intern (1,000 hours max, January 2027–December 2027)

Hybrid Work Program

OCC operates under a Hybrid Work Program which, absent an approved exception, requires employees to work from an OCC office at least 3 days per week. To maximize in–person collaboration, Tuesday and Wednesday are considered anchor days, and all employees are expected to work in the office both days. Employees meeting performance expectations are generally permitted to select 2 other days per week to work remotely if desired. When working remotely, employees are generally expected to work from the state in which they reside, absent an exception approved by Human Resources. Additionally, OCC generally does not permit employees to work while traveling internationally.

About OCC:

A World Class Clearing Organization

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 21 exchanges and trading platforms.

OCC also provides free and engaging educational resources about the benefits and risks of options through its Options Industry Council (OIC). 

OCC is building a culture that empowers continued learning, authentic innovation, and constant creativity.

About the Intern Program:

OCC is looking for interns who are eager to learn, humble enough to ask questions, and ready to think critically about complex problems. The OCC Internship Program equips students with the real-world skills needed to transition successfully into a career in financial services. As an intern, you will contribute to meaningful projects, applying your skills and knowledge to real challenges facing the business. Your time with us is a real opportunity to make a genuine impact on the future of OCC!

OCC's Year-Round Internship Program is a 12-month opportunity running from January through December and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are actively enrolled at a college or university. Interns work up to 20 hours per week during the school year and up to 40 hours per week during the summer, subject to a 1,000-hour cap. The role is based in a hybrid work environment, and overtime is not permitted.

About the Team & Role

The intern will work closely with Data Platform Core and Data Services teams. These teams are responsible for building and maintaining foundational cloud-based data processing and data access capabilities and services using stream processing technologies such as SQL, REST-based APIs, Java Spring Boot, Python, Kubernetes, Kafka. The intern will get more familiar with continuous integration and continuous deployment technologies such as Git Jenkins, and Artifactory, and DevOps concepts and tools; infrastructure and application monitoring tools and technologies such Splunk.

Job Summary & Responsibilities

• Work closely with Data Platform Core and Data Services team responsible for foundational cloud-based data processing and data access capabilities and services using stream processing technologies such as SQL, Java Spring Boot, Python, Kubernetes, Kafka.
• Collaboratively work with the members of the team on planning, documenting requirements, writing SQL code, and troubleshooting issues;
• Learn new tools to tools and technologies; participate in sprint reviews and present end of the sprint, deliverables.
• Leverage AI-assisted development tools, including Claude Code, to accelerate feature development, test generation, code review, and documentation while building good engineering habits in a regulated environment.
• Collaborate with business users and technical teams across the organization to understand data needs, gather requirements, and contribute to solutions that make internal data accessible and useful for analysts.

Candidate Qualifications

Rising senior or second-year graduate student, graduating December 2027 or May/August 2028.

Desired Majors

• Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Analytics

Technical Skills/Experience Desired

• Knowledge of SQL; data analytics skills; Python and/or Java programming skills
• Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and a strong desire to learn fast; ability to ramp up quickly in large codebases, absorb new technologies, and deliver meaningful contributions in a short period of time.
• Foundational understanding of distributed systems concepts such as message delivery semantics, basic fault-tolerance patterns, and event-driven architecture, with enthusiasm to deepen this knowledge on the job.
• Some hands-on cloud experience, preferably with AWS services such as S3, IAM, or EC2, with a willingness to develop production-level cloud-native skills including networking, security, and high-availability design.

Additional Qualifications

• Capacity to stay composed and focused under pressure in time-sensitive production situations, with a desire to develop operational maturity across SLA adherence, data correctness, and system availability.
• Genuine openness to adopting AI-assisted engineering workflows such as Claude Code as part of daily development, with curiosity about how intelligent tooling can improve developer productivity and code quality.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to ask good questions, document work thoroughly, and participate productively in technical discussions with peers and stakeholders.
• A team-first mindset with the ability to work constructively with business, technical, and non-technical professionals in a fast-paced agile environment, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

About Us

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com.

Compensation

• The salary range listed for any given position is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If hired at OCC, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors such as skills, experience and/or education.
• In addition, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer.
• We typically do not hire at the maximum of the range in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a substantial benefits package as noted on www.theocc.com/careers
• All employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses are based on various factors, including, but not limited to, company and individual performance and are not guaranteed.

Salary Range

Incentive Range

This position is eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award, for which the target range is listed above (see Incentive Range). The amount of such award, if any, will be based on various factors, including without limitation, both individual and company performance.

Step 1
When you find a position you're interested in, click the 'Apply' button. Please complete the application and attach your resume.  

Step 2
You will receive an email notification to confirm that we've received your application.

Step 3
If you are called in for an interview, a representative from OCC will contact you to set up a date, time, and location. 

For more information about OCC, please click here.

OCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer