If you’ve come across Maven Trading (officially known as Maven Securities), you’re looking at one of the more established names in proprietary options trading. Here’s a clear breakdown of what the firm actually does, based on its own public job postings and career materials.
What Is Maven Trading?
Maven describes itself as a market-leading proprietary trading firm that deploys its own capital, rather than client money, across discretionary, systematic, and market-making strategies. The firm was established over a decade ago and has grown into a significant player in global derivatives markets.
At its core, Maven’s stated mission is improving liquidity across global listed derivatives, meaning it acts as a market maker, quoting buy and sell prices on options and related instruments so that other traders can enter and exit positions more easily.
What the Firm Actually Focuses On
Based on its own recruiting language, Maven’s work centers on:
- Options market making — actively managing options books, quoting prices, and managing risk across a range of listed instruments
- Systematic and discretionary trading — combining rules-based automated strategies with human judgment-driven trading
- Trading technology — building proprietary execution, pricing, and data systems to support fast, high-volume trading
- Quantitative research — developing models for option pricing, volatility, and algorithmic strategy design
Where Maven Operates
Maven runs trading desks in multiple major financial hubs, most notably:
- London, United Kingdom — appears to be a core base for research and quantitative roles
- Chicago, United States — described in its own listings as an “expanding” US office, particularly for its options market making desk
Who Maven Hires
Job postings point to a fairly specific set of roles built around its trading operations:
- Options Market Makers, expected to manage an options book day-to-day, with a proven track record in profit and risk management
- Quantitative Researchers, working on real-time trading models, option pricing, volatility, and algorithm design, often collaborating with traders and academics from various scientific fields
- Trading Systems Engineers, responsible for the performance, stability, and automation of trading platforms, often requiring Python and Linux systems experience
- Python Developers, working within data and analytics teams to build systems supporting trading analysis
Across roles, Maven consistently emphasizes a few recurring qualities in what it looks for: strong numerical and analytical skills, familiarity with automated trading systems, programming ability (often desirable rather than mandatory outside of tech roles), and a fit with its stated core values — described as integrity and fairness, being market leading, creativity, individual and collective success, discipline, and accountability.
Culture and Hiring Process
Maven’s own listings describe a workplace culture built around technology as central to its trading operations, alongside more typical proprietary-trading-firm perks like informal dress codes, free food, and social events. Notably, the firm states that its Options Market Making team at Maven Securities operates under a strict direct sourcing model, meaning it manages recruitment internally and does not accept unsolicited CVs or agency introductions, applicants are expected to apply directly through its own careers page.
Bottom Line
Maven Trading (Maven Securities) is a proprietary options market-making firm trading its own capital across systematic, discretionary, and market-making strategies, with trading desks in London and a growing office in Chicago. It hires primarily for options trading, quantitative research, and trading technology roles, and recruits candidates directly rather than through third parties. If you’re researching it as a potential employer, its own careers site is the most reliable place to confirm current openings and application details.
