At Optiver, you’ll find an environment built on collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement. As a leading global electronic market maker, we operate at the intersection of technology, trading, and risk management — providing liquidity to financial markets using our own capital and at our own risk.

An exciting opportunity exists for an experienced mid-to-senior level lawyer to join Optiver in Mumbai. As our Indian business continues to expand across products, asset classes, and markets, Legal plays a critical role in enabling growth while safeguarding the firm through sound risk management and trusted advisory support.

Optiver Mumbai, established in 2024 as a SEBI-licensed exchange member trading on NSE and BSE, is the newest of Optiver’s APAC offices and has undergone rapid growth. With expanding market presence across index options, cash equities, futures, and single stock derivatives, India is a critical strategic market for the broader Optiver business.

The APAC Legal team forms part of a global Legal function with lawyers and paralegals. Legal has evolved into a key business partner — supporting first-line Trading and Technology objectives, as well as second-line functions such as Compliance, Risk, HR, and Corporate Governance.

What you’ll do

Reporting locally to the CFO in Mumbai and functionally to the APAC General Counsel in Sydney, you will serve as the primary legal adviser for Optiver India.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Acting as the primary point of contact for all Indian legal matters
• Partnering closely with the local management team to advise on legal risk, governance, and execution matters across two Indian legal entities
• Supporting commercial trading initiatives and business expansion, including new products, new markets, new counterparties, and strategic financing arrangements
• Providing legal support on technology and infrastructure matters, including software, hardware, and market data agreements
• Advising on corporate and commercial matters, including data, IP, AI, employment, procurement, tax, and operational issues
• Contributing to the design and implementation of local policies, governance standards, and risk management frameworks
• Monitoring legal and regulatory developments, supporting interpretation and implementation in partnership with Compliance
• Managing engagement with external law firms in India
• Supporting regulatory and contentious matters where required
• Contributing to global and regional Legal initiatives, including operational alignment, contract frameworks, technology adoption, and policy harmonisation

You will operate independently as sole onshore counsel while being embedded within a globally integrated Legal function.

What you’ll get

You’ll join a high-performing, intellectually rigorous environment where Legal is viewed as a strategic business partner rather than a support function.

In return for your contribution, you’ll receive:

• Exposure to a genuinely broad range of complex legal matters across trading, technology, and corporate domains
• The opportunity to shape and influence a growing business in a strategic global market
• A competitive compensation package, including performance-based bonuses
• Collaboration within a global Legal team and broader APAC leadership group
• Training, mentorship, and long-term career development opportunities
• A range of comprehensive employee benefits

Who you are

You are an agile, practical lawyer with strong commercial instincts and the confidence to operate in a dynamic, high-performance environment. You are comfortable balancing risk and opportunity, and you thrive when partnering closely with senior stakeholders.

You bring:

• At least 10 years’ PQE, with substantial experience in private practice and/or in-house roles (prior in-house experience strongly preferred)
• Experience within financial markets or financial services
• A current practising certificate in India
• Strong working knowledge of financial services regulation and legal principles relevant to markets businesses
• Expertise across corporate, commercial, contractual, and regulatory matters (including data, IP, AI considerations)
• The ability to analyse complex business problems and provide clear, commercially pragmatic recommendations
• Experience working across jurisdictions (regional/international exposure is advantageous)
• The ability to work independently while contributing to a global Legal team
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across senior local, regional, and global audiences
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and drafting capabilities
• High professional integrity and ethical standards

A Company Secretarial qualification is advantageous but not essential.

How to apply

Apply directly via the form below for the position of Legal Counsel (India).

If you have any questions, please contact our Recruitment team via [email protected].

Please note: We cannot accept applications via email for data protection reasons.

Diversity statement

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and welcome requests for reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.