Sr. Crude Oil Trader

Overview

CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry and operates under the CITGO brand. CITGO owns and operates three refineries (Lake Charles, LA; Lemont, IL; and Corpus Christi, TX) and 38 active terminals, six pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,300 employees and a combined crude capacity of about 807,000 barrels-per-day, CITGO is a leading supplier in the industry.

At CITGO our people are our most important resource. Our core values are Safety, Integrity, Respect, Accountability, and Care.

Job Title: Sr. Crude Oil Trader (Finance)

The incumbent is an integral part of CITGO's Crude Supply & Trading team. This position will either be responsible for a Foreign International Cargoes desk or a U.S. Domestics trading desk. This position physically purchases, sells, and trades crude oils to supply and optimize CITGO's refineries. The role contributes to achieving the highest possible refining margin by optimizing refinery intermediate and high-conversion units.

It coordinates all commercial activities and feed stocks with the commercial team in alignment with the Supply Chain (refineries optimizers/coordination team), logistics, schedulers, marine operations, refineries, and Risk Management.

The position develops commercial strategies for CITGO's Asset Back Trading Business around assigned commodities and/or regions. It supports and leads negotiations on spot and term contracts, monitors net exposure on positions, and ensures alignment with trading strategies. It reviews P&L performance and identifies potential improvements in execution.

It is responsible for understanding hydrocarbon qualities, pipeline logistics, infrastructure, and blending opportunities to identify new sources of value. It analyzes market information and trends to identify price/margin optimization opportunities along the supply chain. It initiates and concludes trades, implements hedging strategies, and manages price risks within established authorities. It maintains detailed contractual documentation and pursues commercial trading opportunities, aiming to meet targeted crude oil or feedstock delivery schedules, profitability, and optimization targets.

The role works with Compliance to ensure adherence to trade restrictions and applicable laws and coordinates with Risk Control to operate within risk and trading authorities, policies, and procedures.

• Demonstrated commercial experience on physical trading and paper trading of crude oils, feed stocks and/or products.
• Demonstrated leadership, positive influence, and teamwork behaviors.
• A self-starter with excellent communication skills and the ability to multi-task in a dynamic high-pressure diverse team environment.
• Demonstrated understanding and utilization of fundamental and technical market data to propose profitable trades and manage company exposure.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in physical marketing, supply and/or trading, including inventory management, hedging, and position taking.
• Demonstrated experience with commercial negotiations.
• Demonstrated experience in using analytical and problem-solving techniques.
• A flexible approach to working hours to accommodate variation in workloads.
• Periodic travel may be required.
• 24 hr availability - must carry cell phone.

• At any given time, the Senior Hydrocarbon Trader should have a well-defined scope of work for a specific hydrocarbon commodity and a network of internal and external contacts across the supply chain. The Senior Hydrocarbon Trader should develop work processes to strengthen coordination with other commercial team members. They should analyze crude, feed stocks, or product markets for cargo availabilities and pricing, provide projections of scheduled arrivals, timing, and prices, and input to refinery optimization and distribution processes.
  
  For example, a Senior Hydrocarbon Trader in Crude Oil may position to purchase substantial volumes of foreign medium and light sour crudes for Corpus Christi and Lake Charles, domestic and light sweet crude for USGC refineries, or light and heavy Canadian crude for Lemont, based on refinery economics and market conditions.
• The Senior Hydrocarbon Trader should implement and develop risk management strategies using derivatives to manage risk and add incremental trading revenue.
• Develops a culture of excellence that identifies and pursues entrepreneurial commercial opportunities. Engages with industry experts and maintains strong internal and external relationships. Communicates trading strategies, transactions, and positions clearly.
• Develops and supports new business markets and opportunities to increase margins and profitability.
• Engages with Credit and Treasury to devise controls of payables and receivables according to negotiated contracts and participates in developing presentations to suppliers and customers to enhance trade credit.
• Job duties are not all-inclusive; site-specific…