Head of Oil Trading (Cross-Barrel Physical and Spec Paper Trading / Lead and Manage a team) - Location: Singapore

Head of Oil Trading (Cross-Barrel Physical and Spec Paper Trading / Lead and Manage a team) - Location: Singapore

We are partnering with an ambitious and growing energy trading firm (with assets) on a confidential mandate to hire a Head of Oil Trading (Cross Barrel, Physical and Paper) trade, lead and expand its oil trading franchise.

This is a true "player-manager" opportunity for an experienced oil trader who combines a proven track record of generating profits with the ability to build, mentor, and lead a high-performing trading team. The successful incumbent will be expected to actively trade both physical and paper markets, drive profitability across the oil complex, and develop a differentiated market view spanning from crude and refined products.

The ideal candidate should possess a strong cross-barrel understanding of the oil market capable of identifying value across physical flows, arbitrage opportunities, relative-value trades, and derivatives markets.

Responsibilities

Trading & Revenue Generation

• Manage and grow a profitable physical and spec paper oil trading portfolio with full P&L responsibility.
• Execute discretionary trading strategies across physical and derivatives markets.
• Generate alpha through a combination of fundamental analysis, market intelligence, flow information, relative-value opportunities, and macroeconomic views.
• Leverage futures, swaps, options, and OTC derivatives to enhance returns and optimize risk-adjusted performance.
• Trade and manage market exposure across crude and/or refined products including fuel oil, gasoil, naphtha, gasoline, jet fuel, LPG or related products.

Physical Oil Trading

• Originate, negotiate and execute physical oil transactions globally, either pure trading or utilising the asset-backed platform to optimise and augment your trading P&L.
• Build and maintain relationships with refiners, producers, trading houses, distributors, end-users, storage providers and shipping counterparties.
• Identify arbitrage opportunities across regional markets and supply chains.
• Optimize logistics, freight, storage and blending strategies to maximize margins.
• Grow trading volumes while maintaining prudent risk management standards.

Cross-Barrel Market Leadership

• Develop and communicate a holistic view of global oil markets, encompassing crude, light ends, middle distillates, heavy ends, freight and refining dynamics.
• Analyze global supply-demand balances, refinery economics, trade flows, inventories and geopolitical developments.
• Generate trading ideas that capitalize on inter-product relationships and dislocations across the barrel.
• Drive collaboration across different product desk and different offices to identify new cross barrel trading opportunities.

Team Management & Leadership

• Lead, mentor and develop a team of people across different trading desks.
• Create a performance-driven culture focused on accountability, collaboration and profitability.
• Set trading strategies, risk parameters and individual performance objectives.
• Support recruitment, development and retention of top trading talent.
• Act as both desk leader and revenue generator, remaining actively involved in day-to-day trading activities.

Risk Management

• Ensure trading activity remains within approved mandates and risk limits.
• Monitor market, credit, liquidity and operational risks across the portfolio.
• Balance capital deployment with risk-adjusted return objectives.
• Work closely with Risk, Operations and Finance teams to maintain robust governance and controls.

Strategic Growth

• Identify new markets, products and revenue streams for the business.
• Contribute to the strategic development of the oil trading platform or.
• Evaluate upstream projects, M&A opportunities, JVs and tolling offtakes to expand into adjacent products, geographies and trading strategies.
• Represent the business externally with key market participants and counterparties.

Requirements

• At least 15-20 years of experience in physical oil trading with a demonstrable history of generating profitable returns.
• Proven experience managing a physical and paper trading book, ideally cross barrel
• Strong understanding of derivatives markets and risk management tools.
• Ability to formulate and execute a cross-barrel trading strategy.
• Prior experience leading, mentoring or managing trading teams.
• Established industry network across producers, refiners, trading houses, brokers, shipowners and financial institutions.
• Strong commercial instincts, entrepreneurial mindset and excellent decision-making abilities.
• Experience building or scaling trading businesses is highly advantageous.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Engineering, Mathematics or a related discipline preferred.

Kindly drop us a copy of your CV (word format) and through this application to register your interest.

All our conversations will be kept strictly confidential.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Thank you.

Selby Jennings is a Trading Style of Phaidon International (License number R16S8194)