Options Celebrates 10 Years of Award-Winning Graduate and Placement Programme

BELFAST, Northern Ireland & LONDON & NEW YORK & HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Options Technology, the leading provider of infrastructure services to the global capital markets, today marked the 10-year anniversary of its award-winning Graduate and Placement Programme. Since its launch in 2015, the programme has helped propel Options’ global headcount to over 650 employees worldwide, while offering unparalleled career opportunities across the company’s global network.

Over the last decade, Options has expanded its global footprint, serving all 30 of the world’s top banks and financial institutions. Backed by private investment from Vitruvian Partners, the company’s growth has been fuelled by the success of its Graduate and Placement Programme, which has seen young professionals begin their careers at Options and go on to hold leadership roles across the business.

Since 2015, the Graduate and Placement Programme has directly recruited over 270 students, 98% of whom remain with the company today and 44% now working across Options’ offices worldwide. In addition, over 70 students began their careers at Options on placement, with more than 65% advancing into senior management and leadership positions across key business areas such as security, software development, and cloud engineering.

At the heart of the programme is Options’ Belfast headquarters, the company’s primary training centre for new graduates, placement students, and apprentices. Each year, new intakes begin their careers in Belfast before progressing through immersive training across Options’ global hubs, gaining the skills and experience needed to build long-term careers.

High retention rates and strong career progression highlight the programme’s success in building long-term careers. This commitment has been recognized through accolades including ‘Best Employee Development Programme’ at the 2022 Irish News Workplace and Employment Awards and ‘IT Team of the Year’ at the 2023 Belfast Telegraph IT Awards.

The programme continues to attract record intakes, with over 40% of all new hires in the past 12 months coming from graduates and placement students. Options has expanded recruitment to include engineering apprentices for school leavers and strengthened partnerships with Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, Cambridge University, and Belfast Metropolitan College.

Danny Moore, President and CEO of Options, commented, “The Graduate and Placement Programme has been one of the most impactful investments in our history. Ten years on, it continues to deliver exceptional talent to our business and career-defining opportunities for students and graduates worldwide. Belfast remains the beating heart of this initiative, where our students begin their journey before stepping into the wider world of global finance and technology. As we grow to more than 650 staff and expand into new markets, our commitment to developing the next generation of technology leaders has never been stronger.”

In line with continued global growth, Options has recently opened new offices in Dubai and Sydney, extending the international training opportunities available to its team alongside existing hubs in New York, Chicago, Toronto, London, Cambridge, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Auckland.

Today’s announcement builds on a series of company milestones for Options, including its sponsorship of Cambridge University’s Gaelic Athletic Club, the opening of its new office premises in central Hong Kong, and a landmark rowing partnership with Queen’s University Belfast.

The 10-year celebration of the Graduate and Placement Programme will coincide with the official launch of Options’ 2026 programme on Thursday 16th October at The National Bar, Belfast.

For more information on Options’ Graduate and Placement Programme and how to apply, visit: https://www.options-it.com/careers/graduate-and-placement-programme/

For media inquiries, please contact Niall McAleer, [e-mail]

Options Technology:

Options Technology (Options) is a financial technology company at the forefront of banking and trading infrastructure. We serve clients globally with offices in New York, London, Belfast, Cambridge, Chicago, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Paris, Sydney and Auckland. At Options, our services are woven into the hottest trends in global technology, including high-performance Networking, Cloud, Security, and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

www.options-it.com