Development Internship - C++, Summer 2026

About Akuna:

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 Andrew Killion, 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 Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and London.

What you’ll do as a Development Intern on the C++ Team at Akuna:

We are seeking Development Interns to join our innovative and growing technology team for our 10-week Akunacademy summer internship program. In this role you will work alongside our trading and software teams to design and implement elegant solutions to complex and interesting problems. 

Development Interns at Akuna have the opportunity to use cutting-edge technology while working on high performance/low latency systems.  We offer a team-based approach to trading and software engineering, believing that productive integration of the two groups is vital for success in this industry.  Akuna loves Development interns who are self-starters and have the ability to problem solve and think outside of the box. We value innovation and hard work, and want you to make an impact in the firm. Whether you are interested in trading infrastructure, algorithms, models, exchange gateways, performance engineering, hardware, data capture and analysis, or front-end user interfaces, there’s work to be done. If you are excited to jump in and make a difference, Akuna could be the place for you. 

The C++ teams work on applications where C++ is used for computational heavy-lifting and for applications that have timing-critical, low-latency processes such as trading strategies. C++ provides the flexibility and low-level control that our developers need to get maximum performance out of multi-core, super-scalar processors. No previous experience in finance or trading is required. Training and continuous education is provided for all engineers to ensure they have the skills and knowledge needed to be successful.        

Qualities that make great candidates:

• Pursuing a BS/MS/ PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Physics or related field
• Experience programming in C++
• Demonstrated experience with distributed systems
• Strong analytic and problem-solving skills
• Ability to communicate with the trading team, obtain requirements, find solutions and implement them in a clean and concise way
• Passion for innovation and building systems from the ground up
• Ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment
• Self-starter attitude with the ability to work independently
• Strong sense of ownership
• Must be graduated by June 2027
• Major GPA of 3.0 or above
• Willing to prepare and take English technical Interviews