Senior Naphtha Trader

We are seeking a highly accomplished, commercially astute Senior Naphtha Trader to anchor and expand our Clean Petroleum Products (CPP)trading desk in Singapore. The ideal candidate will possess deep, proven expertise in Far East naphtha markets, with a specialized emphasis on the Japanese market.

Given the structural integration of refining margins and blending components, this role requires a dual-competency profile: an elite naphtha specialist who also brings substantial experience in Motor Gasoline (Mogas) trading. Fluency in Japanese is a mandatory requirement to effectively manage high-value relationships with Japanese refiners, trading houses (sogo shosha), and petrochemical end-users.

Key Responsibilities

1. Physical & Derivatives Trading

• Proprietary & Asset Trading: Formulate and execute physical arbitrage, blending, and derivative trading strategies across the Far East Naphtha and Mogas markets to maximize profitability.
• Market Optimization: Manage and optimize physical supply chains, blending opportunities, and logistical flows (including shipping and storage) across the Asia-Pacific region.
• Risk Management: Utilize financial derivatives (swaps, futures, options) to hedge physical exposure, manage price risk, and structure complex spread positions (e.g., Naphtha vs. Brent, Mogas vs. Naphtha crack spreads).

2. Regional Market Focus (Japan & Far East)

• Japanese Market Origination: Leverage native or professional fluency in Japanese to originate term and spot business directly with Japanese refiners, petrochemical crackers, and utility companies.
• Cross-Commodity Synergy: Leverage deep Mogas trading experience to capitalize on the naphtha-to-gasoline blending pool dynamics, shifting components between petrochemical feedstocks and gasoline blending based on relative value.
• Market Intelligence: Develop and maintain local network contacts to gather granular, real-time intelligence on turnaround schedules, refinery utilization rates, and downstream petrochemical demand changes in Northeast Asia.

3. Leadership & Operations

• Counterparty Management: Maintain, deepen, and expand the company’s credit lines and trading relationships with global majors, state-owned oil companies, and regional distributors.
• Cross-Desk Collaboration: Work closely with the Operations, Shipping/Chartering, Risk Management, and Credit teams to ensure seamless execution of physical trades and minimize operational slippage.
• Mentorship: Provide market insights and guidance to junior traders and analysts on the CPP desk.

Required Qualifications & Competencies

Experience: Minimum of 8–12 years of commercial experience in oil trading, with at least 5+ years as a lead physical Naphtha trader in the Asia-Pacific region.

Product Expertise: Proven track record in physical Naphtha trading, alongside substantial, hands-on exposure to Mogas trading and blending components.

Language Skills: Fluency in spoken and written Japanese is strictly required to handle direct negotiations, legal documentation, and senior-level relationship management within Japan.

Market Knowledge: Deep technical understanding of the Far East open-spec naphtha contract, cracker feed specifications, and Northeast Asian gasoline specifications.

Risk Acumen: Advanced understanding of oil market risk management, value-at-risk (VaR) parameters, and structured derivative products.

Network: An established, active network of counterparties across Japanese refiners, international trading houses, and major regional petrochemical buyers.