Our client is an established Oil trading company, with physical assets across Europe. They actively source, refine, market and trade Crude Oil and Oil products, and associated financial derivatives.
Due to recent growth across their asset portfolio which has led to a global restructuring, we are looking to introduce a Senior Oil Operator to the Operations team.
The successful candidate will have a proven track record of delivery as a senior oil products operator (and Crude ideally), probably gained at an oil major or independent refiner. You will join a small team who are responsible for trading the production from the Group’s refining Assets in Europe (and any subsequent assets that the Group could acquire).
You will ensure that all operations are safely, timely, efficiently and cost effectively managed to guarantee the prompt and cost-effective delivery of crude and feedstocks into the refinery and products to customers. The scope of these operations will include vessel loading/discharge, voyage instructions, storage operations, documentation, and other associated activities. This will require close liaison with traders and other parts of the company (including finance, vessel chartering/operations, etc.).
RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Contracts:
- Setting operational standards (e.g., contract issuance, response times, standardized contracts) and ensuring compliance with those standards in conjunction with internal customers (principally traders) to ensure the groups interests not prejudiced.
- Validating, reviewing, and executing physical oil contracts in line with internal processes and procedures
- Reconciliation of physical oil trades against trader recap/ broker recap/counterparty contract and trading system.
- Prompt resolution and communication of trade discrepancies.
- Verification and validation of trades within the trade capture system.
- Preparation of sale contracts and dealing with countering of contracts to conclusion.
- Review of purchase contracts and negotiation of contract terms with suppliers.
- Chasing counterparties by means of purchase confirmation issuance if purchase contract not received.
- Anticipating potential problems; mitigating against risk and legal ramifications of applicable law (and how it relates to various GT&Cs).
- Maintaining strong document management practice in the logging of contracts and all related documents and correspondence.
Operations:
- Co-ordinating operations from trade recap to completion of trade operation tasks, working closely with traders, refinery scheduling, and production planning teams.
- Nominations of vessels for clearance to load/discharge ports and buyers/sellers, in accordance with contract terms (includes laycan)
- Issuing voyage orders to shipping/counterparties and monitoring progress of ship, informing trading of any slippage or speed-ups in a timely manner
- Selecting and appointing approved independent cargo inspection companies to ensure quality and quantity control, selecting and appointing vessel’s agents where possible.
- Maintaining accurate records of each cargo including prompt and accurate filing
- Accurately updating trade system in a timely fashion
- Checking all calculations relating to the trade (freight, demurrage, product, inspectors, cargo superintendents, gains/losses, insurance, and additives)
- Verifying quality and quantity of products delivered by suppliers, controlling variations within acceptable limits.
- Adhering to company policies and procedures and, ensuring compliance with all operational processes
- Maintain excellent HSE standards.
Chartering:
- Sourcing safe and cost-effective spot chartering/shipping as required (clean & dirty ships)
- Obtaining clean acceptance of vessels in a timely manner
- Contributing to COA negotiation on barges and chemicals
- Effecting required letters of indemnity, instructions to shipbroker/ship owners
- Ensuring all cargoes carry the correct documentation to allow import to the destination.
Commercial:
- Identifying and implementing methods to improve the profitability of all transactions, constantly looking for opportunities to minimise cost/maximise service for given cost.
- Liaising closely with agents, inspectors, customers, suppliers and other involved third parties on all trades to protect the company’s position throughout and ensure smooth, timely and cost-effective operation.
- Submitting claims where necessary (i.e., demurrage, quality and insurance claims) to minimize exposure and maximize recovery.
Finance:
- Working closely with the finance group, on issuance and acceptance of letters of credit, and issue documentary instructions to suppliers for shipping/delivery of products, ensuring cargo loading and discharging adhere to any credit or L/C requirements.
- Checking correct freight invoice/payment docs received from ship owners and passing for approval to pay.
- Validating all prices and ensuring correct P&L in the system.
- In co-operation with accounts group, issuing invoice/payment docs to buyers.
- checking correct invoice/payment docs received from supplier and pass for approval to pay.
KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:
- Extensive experience of managing physical barge, rail, and truck operations in relation to crude oil and petroleum products.
- Shipping/chartering experience and knowledge of ship vetting, preferably gained in NWE. Familiar with Q88.
- Understanding of ship economics and voyage calculation.
- Extensive knowledge of incoterms, charter parties and GT&Cs.
- Sound working knowledge of shipping, legal, inspection, hedging and finance to enable appreciation and interaction with these areas.
- Experience of M&A due diligence an advantage.
- A strong track record of establishing and maintaining good and professional working relationships with internal and external counterparties.
- Flexible, reliable and conscientious, able to work under pressure and stress, well organized and able to balance multiple priorities while working to tight deadlines.
- Able to work independently in handling varied and complex operational issues.
- Has commercial awareness/instincts to ensure best economic results of operational alternatives.
- Open and trustworthy with strong communication and networking ability. Team player essential
