Role Synopsis
The trading business within the energy industry is fast paced and constantly evolving. To ensure that we efficiently and securely finance our business the Trade Finance department is an essential team within Mercuria whose role it is to utilize our financing facilities to best effect in order to facilitate the trading business. To meet this purpose it is imperative that we have an in-depth understanding of the transactional flows that we are trading, work with the traders to structure financing to minimize the financing cost and ensure that the financing is operationally efficient.
The scope of the role will be part of the Asia Finance Team covering crude oil, oil products, petchems, LPG/ LNG, hard commodities, carbon credits and other environmental products. The activities will include partnering with the traders, functional teams and the broader global finance organizations. Maintain strong relationships externally with the banking industry.
The role will require good organisation skills to maintain a portfolio of activity, strong communication and interpersonal skills as well as the requisite technical knowledge of these commodities.
Responsibilities
The role will be accountable for the day-to-day portfolio within Asia. Specifically this will include:
- Monitoring the daily financing needs of Trade Finance portfolios for oil activity
- Managing the execution Imports & export letters of credit, LC confirmations & Discounting
- Working and maintaining relations with our key financing banks and also internal stakeholders.
- Handling LC amendments, reviewing the underlying contracts, checking documentation, negotiating key terms with banks or internal stakeholders
- Proactively responding to risks of document discrepancy and clean presentation of Letters of Credit, both internally and externally
- Executing bank guarantees including bid & performance bonds, SWAP, etc.
- Management of inventory financing including monitoring, reporting and acting to address any financing issues with internal and external stakeholders
- Potentially assisting in the structuring of prepayments and project financing structures.
- Potentially negotiating bilateral trade finance documentation with banks, both in English and Mandarin
The role is central to the trading activity and requires close cooperation with a number of key internal stakeholders, including traders, operations, credit, accounting, tax, legal and treasury.
Qualifications & Competences:
- 10 years experience in Trade Finance department in commodities industry
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with our internal and external counterparties
- Detailed knowledge of UCP600, ISBP and ISP98 and general commodity trading incoterms.
- Good understanding of physical trading operations, inventory management and shipping
- Strong communication skills
- Good attention to detail
- Ability to work independently and able to meet tight deadlines and overcome barriers to bring trade/legal negotiations to conclusion
- Good facilitation and negotiation skills with prior experience in banking legal documentation.
- Strong ability to read and write in Mandarin is a plus.
- Knowledge of hedging, derivatives and prepayment structures is a plus.
