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About the Role

We are seeking a senior Valuations Control Specialist to establish and enhance Optiver's independent valuation and pricing control capabilities for OTC exotic derivatives. This greenfield role sits at the intersection of Finance and Middle Office, requiring you to define standards, build infrastructure, and establish controls as the OTC book scales. You will be the firm's primary technical authority on independent price verification (IPV) and valuation methodology.

Responsibilities

Own and manage IPV for OTC exotic equity derivatives, including structured notes, cap/floor products, barrier and digital options, autocallables and other bespoke payoffs.
Lead the development, validation and enhancement of IPV methodologies in collaboration with the OTC trading desk.
Design and implement a globally consistent valuation approach for OTC instruments, focusing on a systematic and automated approach to IPV and model validation.
Define and implement prudential and fair valuation adjustments consistent with market practice and applicable accounting standards.
Leverage internal and external resources to source, validate and maintain independent market data used for valuation and IPV.
Own Optiver's external market-data and consensus-pricing relationships for OTC valuation.
Develop a P&L attribution framework for Level 3 valuations, defining sensitivities and establishing Day 1 P&L reserve frameworks.
Lead Optiver's approach to IFRS fair value levelling for Level 3 derivatives.
Define and track valuation KPIs, including IPV coverage, break resolution times, and reserve movements.
Support new product and new trade onboarding, including pricing model verification, market data configuration and sign-off of initial valuations.
Partner with functions across the OTC trade lifecycle to embed valuation controls into workflows and align IPV outputs with downstream consumers.

Requirements

8+ years' experience in valuations control, product control or quantitative finance, with a focus on OTC derivatives — structured products, exotics, or comparable complexity.
Deep technical understanding of exotic option pricing: pricing models, calibration methods, Greeks attribution, hedging frameworks and the risk sensitivity of model-dependent payoffs.
Hands-on IPV experience across a range of derivative instruments, with the ability to challenge and validate model outputs independently.
Strong knowledge of accounting standards as they apply to derivatives valuation, including IFRS 13, IFRS 9, CVA/FVA and broader XVA frameworks.
Strong market data literacy — curves, volatility surfaces, consensus marks, broker data — with experience using providers such as Bloomberg, Refinitiv, ICE, Markit/Totem-style services.
Exceptional ability to translate complex quantitative analysis for non-technical audiences.
A proactive, practical mindset with demonstrable experience building robust controls, improving workflows, reducing manual intervention and delivering in a fast-moving environment.

Skills

Valuations control
Product control
Quantitative finance
OTC derivatives
Structured products
Exotic derivatives
Independent price verification (IPV)
Valuation methodology
Pricing control
Exotic option pricing
Pricing models
Calibration methods
Greeks attribution
Hedging frameworks
Risk sensitivity
Derivative instruments
Accounting standards
IFRS 13
IFRS 9
CVA/FVA
XVA frameworks
Market data
Curves
Volatility surfaces
Consensus marks
Broker data
Bloomberg
Refinitiv
ICE
Markit/Totem
Quantitative analysis
Control building
Workflow improvement
Manual intervention reduction

Location

London

Work Type

Full-time

Experience Level

Senior

Benefits

Performance-based bonus structure
27 paid vacation days plus all UK public holidays
Daily breakfast and lunch
Support on commuting expenses
Private medical insurance
Pension scheme
ClassPass fitness membership
Training and continuous learning opportunities
Access to conferences and tech events
International transfer opportunities

About the Company

At Optiver, our mission is to constantly improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency and acting as a stabilizing force no matter the market conditions.
With a focus on continuous improvement, we participate in the safeguarding of healthy and efficient markets for everyone who participates.
As one of the largest market making institutions, we are a trusted partner of 70+ exchanges across the globe.

Equal Opportunity

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion.