Graduate Software Engineer (2026)

Your IMC journey as a Graduate Software Engineer will begin with a five-week Global Trainee Programme led by our seasoned engineers and traders alongside graduates from all three IMC regions: Europe, the United States, and Asia-Pacific. During this traineeship, you’ll deepen your knowledge about trading and financial markets, understand the tools and systems used at IMC, and learn how to write production software, craftsmanship and advanced topics in C++, Java or Python. Your training will continue back at your local office (Amsterdam or Aarhus), where you’ll receive support from your dedicated mentor, an experienced software engineer at IMC. What happens next is up to you – on our Execution teams you might build anything from advanced networks to proprietary algorithms, while on our Strategy teams you could design systems powering big data and cutting-edge analytics.

YOUR CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop cutting-edge technology in advanced algorithms
• Support the development of our trading platform and software stack
• Gain experience across the entire software development lifecycle
• Collaborate with traders, quant researchers, and hardware engineers to improve our systems

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

• In your ultimate year of study in computer science, software engineering, or a related field graduating, and are seeking to join IMC full-time in February or August 2026
• Proficiency in C++ or Java is required. Additionally, experience with Python is preferred
• A working knowledge of algorithms and data structures
• First-class analytical skills and a desire to solve complicated problems programmatically
• A genuine interest in financial markets (no prior knowledge or experience is required)

Please note: You’ll have the opportunity to complete the recruitment process in your preferred programming language (Java or C++). Please note, however, that exclusive use of one language cannot be guaranteed.

If you have already applied for this position during the current recruitment season and were not selected, you may reapply when the next recruitment season begins in September 2026. We encourage you to focus on enhancing your skillset before reapplying.

Due to U.S. consulate restrictions, candidates from certain nations (including Russia, Belarus, and Iran) are required to apply for their visa in a designated third country or to prove strong ties with a country of residency. Since the global traineeship begins shortly after employment starts, there is not enough time to establish the ties with the Netherlands which is needed for approval. As a result, we are unable to proceed with your candidacy for the graduate traineeship programme at this time. We greatly appreciate your understanding and hope to consider you for future opportunities.

If you are a dual passport holder of another nationality or a European citizen who wants to relocate back to Europe, you remain welcome to apply and should inform our campus recruitment team of your situation: CampusEU@imc.com.

For more information on our technology interview process, please review our preparation guide here. 

About Us

IMC is a research-driven trading firm where quantitative modeling, machine learning, and engineering shape how modern markets are traded. A stabilizing force in markets since 1989, we provide liquidity across trading venues, delivering the best outcome in value and risk management to investors. Using our own technology and capital, we build proprietary systems and algorithms that operate across global markets. Our researchers, traders, and engineers work as a collective, combining rapid experimentation, advanced infrastructure, and real-time feedback to turn insight into execution and execution into advantage.