Trade and Cost control Officer

Trade Capture & Verification

• Record all confirmed trades (physical cargoes, paper/derivative positions) into the trading system (ETRM) accurately and on time
• Match trade tickets against broker confirmations, contracts, and counterparty confirmations
• Flag and resolve discrepancies between the front office (traders) and the deal entered in the system

Expense & Cost Control

• Collect and verify all trade-related invoices: freight, demurrage, port charges, storage, inspection, insurance, financing/interest costs
• Check invoices against contractual terms (charter party, storage agreement, letters of credit) before approval
• Ensure costs are allocated to the correct trade/cargo/deal for accurate P&L attribution

Reconciliation

• Reconcile trade positions, inventory movements, and costs between the ETRM/trading system and internal records
• Reconcile counterparty statements, bank confirmations, and letters of credit against internal trade records
• Investigate and resolve breaks before month-end close

Handover to Accounting Firm

• Prepare and package verified trade and expense data (supporting documentation, invoices, contracts) for the external accounting firm
• Act as the point of contact for the accounting firm on queries related to trade data, invoices, or cost allocation
• Maintain an audit trail for every transaction and cost item submitted

Compliance & Controls

• Ensure trades and costs comply with internal risk limits, credit approvals, and company policy
• Support internal and external audits by providing documentation and explanations
• Identify and escalate control weaknesses or process gaps

Experience

• 10+ years in trade support, middle office, or finance operations within an oil trading company (physical and/or paper crude/products trading)
• Strong, hands-on experience with ETRM systems
• Deep familiarity with physical oil trade documentation: bills of lading, charter parties, letters of credit, quality/quantity certificates
• Good accounting understanding, including how trade and cost postings flow into journal entries, P&L, and balance sheet, sufficient to liaise credibly with the accounting firm

Skills

• Strong attention to detail and comfort reconciling large volumes of transactional data
• Solid understanding of trade lifecycle (deal capture → logistics → invoicing → settlement) and of the underlying accounting entries it generates
• Working knowledge of accounting principles and month-end close processes (accruals, provisions, cost allocation) as they apply to commodity trading
• Advanced Excel skills; comfort with ERP/accounting software interfaces
• Clear communicator able to work with traders, operations, logistics, and external accountants

A permanent role in a medium size oil trading company