Principal Responsibilities
The Portfolio Manager will trade a proprietary distillates book within an established Commodities trading team, taking risk across middle distillates (gasoil, jet fuel, diesel and related products) in the Middle East and Asian markets. The role covers futures, swaps, spreads and physical-linked derivatives, and calls for a trader with a demonstrated record of profitable proprietary risk-taking in these regions, a detailed understanding of regional refining, export and arbitrage flows, and the discipline to operate within the firm's centrally-driven risk framework.
Key Responsibilities:
- Trade and manage a proprietary distillates portfolio across the Middle East and Asia, spanning outright flat price, time spreads, regional arbitrage (East-West, AG-Singapore), crack spreads and inter-product spreads in gasoil, jet fuel and diesel.
- Develop and maintain a fundamental view of regional supply and demand: Middle East refinery output and export programmes, Asian demand and inventory cycles, freight and blending economics, and their impact on Singapore and Dubai-linked pricing.
- Build and maintain the analytical tools that support the book, including balances, arbitrage and freight models, spread monitors and PnL and risk attribution.
- Manage position sizing, liquidity and hedging with discipline, working within the team's risk limits and the firm's central risk and operational framework.
- Contribute market intelligence, trade ideas and commentary to the wider Commodities team and collaborate with colleagues across products and regions.
Qualifications/Skills Required
- At least 5 years of experience trading middle distillates at a major trading house, oil major, refiner or bank, with direct coverage of the Middle East and Asian markets.
- Demonstrated proprietary risk-taking record in distillates, with clear evidence of PnL generated from own positions rather than flow or franchise trading.
- Deep understanding of regional refining and export economics, the Singapore and Dubai pricing benchmarks, freight and arbitrage mechanics, and the derivatives used to express these views.
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Engineering, Mathematics or a related quantitative discipline.
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including the ability to build and maintain supply-demand balances, spread and arbitrage models; programming skills (e.g. Python) an advantage.
- Established relationships across the regional physical and paper distillates market, including refiners, traders and brokers.
- Proven ability to manage risk with discipline, work independently and collaborate effectively within a multi-strategy trading environment.