Trading Operator

Job Role:-Execute the physical logistics of the company's oil product trades — cargoes, voyages and the storage and land movements that serve them — from deal capture through nomination, loading, voyage, discharge, documentation and close-out. Working under the direction of the Operations Manager, the Trading Operator protects deal value by preventing and containing operational losses (demurrage, quality and quantity claims, document discrepancies, late or incorrect invoicing) and by ensuring that every transaction, movement and cost is captured accurately and on time in the CTRM and the deal file. The role keeps Trading, Shipping, Risk, Finance and Compliance supplied with accurate, current operational information, and operates within defined authority limits, escalating early and with a recommendation.

Key Responsibilities

Trade Execution & Cargo Movements:-Review each new deal in the CTRM against the trade recap and contract (counterparty, product and specification, quantity and tolerance, Incoterm and delivery window, pricing basis and payment terms) and raise any mismatch with the Trader and Risk before execution begins.Execute the optimised operational plan for assigned cargoes and work closely with logistics (marine and land), tank terminals and manufacturing sites to understand and resolve any deviations from plan.Issue and follow up nominations, laycan confirmations, berth and terminal bookings, and loading/discharge instructions within the contractual notice periods and in line with contract terms, and obtain the counterparty’s vessel acceptance in writing; escalate any conflict with the contract to the Operations Manager.Appoint and instruct surveyors and inspectors; follow sampling, gauging and testing through to receipt of results and circulate outcomes promptly; check certificates of quality against the contract specification before loading or discharge proceeds and escalate any off-spec result immediately.Execute blend instructions issued by the Trader/ Product Quality, confirming component quantities and the final certificate of quality against the target specification; understand key commercial quality parameters, trade recaps and contracts, import-export documentation, Letter of Credit formats and procedures, quantity optimization and the commercial impact of quality/ quantity variation.Prepare logistics feasibility and cost inputs (timing, freight, storage, port and inspection costs, demurrage exposure) for alternative supply or delivery options when requested by the Trader or Operations Manager; the commercial decision remains with the Trader.Carry out month-end stock and inventory reconciliations across terminals, vessels and in-transit positions (book vs. terminal and inspector figures) to the Finance close timetable; investigate variances and clear them with the terminal, counterparty or Finance.Shipping & Voyage OperationsTrack vessel positions, ETAs and live operational situations daily for assigned voyages; report congestion, weather, berthing and documentation issues to the Operations Manager and the Trader promptly.Monitor voyage performance on assigned vessels: off-hire, laytime status, demurrage accrual and bunker variance; maintain the voyage tracker so the position is visible at all times.Support Shipping Operations and the Freight desk on bunker planning for time-chartered and owned vessels (requirements, stem timing, delivery confirmation, quantity/ quality disputes); bunker fixing, off-hire and time-charter performance remain the responsibility of Shipping Operations.Issue voyage orders and loading/ discharge instructions to the vessel through Shipping Operations/ owners (cargo quantities, heating, segregation, sampling and documentary instructions) and confirm receipt and understanding by the Master.Work closely with surveyors, tank terminals, vessel masters, port agents and other third party operational stakeholders to optimise operations through quality and quantity management.Appoint port agents, approve proforma disbursement accounts (PDAs) and check final disbursement accounts (FDAs) against the actual port call, challenging unsupported items.Coordinate approved ship-to-ship (STS) transfers and lightering operations with the STS service provider, both Masters and the inspector; no STS operation proceeds without prior approval from the Operations Manager and Compliance.Participate in the morning operational stand-up, presenting the status of assigned cargoes and voyages.Documentation, Trade Finance & Invoicing SupportCheck the commercial document set — B/L, certificates of quality/ quantity/ origin, timesheets, insurance and customs documents — against the contract and, where applicable, the Letter of Credit before release, and circulate to Trading, Finance and Risk.Review Letter of Credit drafts against the contract with Trade Finance, prepare compliant document presentations, track discrepancies to resolution and monitor payment security (prepayment, CAD, open account) so that title is never released ahead of payment or security.Prepare and track Letters of Indemnity (discharge without original B/Ls, change of destination, split or switched B/Ls) for authorised signature; monitor outstanding LOI exposure and secure their release or return once originals are presented.Declare cargoes to the cargo insurance broker/ underwriter within policy time limits and keep the declaration log current.Provide Finance with the actualised quantities, B/L dates and pricing data needed for provisional and final invoices within one business day of B/L; ensure correct invoicing, that secondary costs are captured and accrued, and that payment documents are all in order and available.Check and approve, within delegated authority limits, freight and third-party invoices — freight, storage, throughput, surveying, agency, port charges — flagging discrepancies or recovery gaps to the Operations Manager.Systems, Data & ReportingMaintain organised and complete operational records and deal files (to the deal-file checklist) to support invoicing, claims, audit and compliance review.Keep the CTRM as the single source of truth: enter nominations and schedule changes as they occur, actualise B/L quantities and dates within one business day, and accrue and actualise secondary costs (freight, demurrage, inspection, port, storage, financing) so that Risk and Finance positions are always current.Experience3–6 years’ experience in physical oil products trading operations or tanker shipping operations.Exposure to month-end stock inventory reconciliations.Exposure to oil products, cargo movements and vessel operations in a trading or shipping environment.Hands-on experience of the full cargo cycle end to end: nomination, loading, voyage, discharge, documents, invoicing and claims.