Analyst - Trade Finance

Main purpose

To provide efficient finance operations and risk management for our international oil trading activities.

Key responsibilities

• Issuance of L/C’s or Bank Guarantees for our purchases & sales of Crude and Oil Products including negotiation with banks in order to place transactions under bilateral facilities
• Review of contracts for all transactions in accordance with company policy and procedure
• To check and approve cargo loadings and discharges whilst ensuring contractual obligations are met without exposing the company to risk or loss
• Risk covering sales where necessary with Banks and/or Insurance
• Ensuring that Risk Management decisions are appropriate, bearing in mind financial/commercial imperatives.
• Release and stock management, exposure monitoring and weekly m2m of any storage positions
• Close co-operation with our Deals Desk personnel to ensure any costs agreed by Trade Finance are allocated correctly to the separately maintained deal Profit and Loss accounts
• Close co-operation with our Oil Operations team to ensure that our physical logistical requirements are in alignment with financial and risk considerations
• Preparation and dispatch of Invoices and Letters of Indemnity (or shipping documents) for payment under Documentary Letters of Credit received from our buyers
• The reception / recording and distribution of shipping documents – including the allocation and dispatch of such documents to our trading counter-parts / financing banks enabling the prompt cancellation of outstanding LOI’s
• The regular chasing of any shipping documents not received in a timely manner from our trading counter-parts / financing banks – thus ensuring that our credit facilities are used to an optimum level
• Ensuring timely processing of Cargo payments together with managing cash positions with the Banks.
• Closely liasoning with teams in locations like Singapore/ Geneva/ Johannesburg etc

Required qualifications

• Minimum  2+  years’ experience in within a Trading Company / Financial institution having gained a basic understanding of the principals surrounding Trade Finance instruments and their pitfalls would be desirable.

• Educational background – Postgraduate in Finance / Master’s degree

Attributes for success

• Well-organized and pro-active, excellent communication skills, strong coordinating skills, able to demonstrate exceptional problem solving and the ability to think in a highly logical and critical fashion
• Highly diligent and sharp eye for attention to details
• Able to take initiatives and not only work to, but also set their own quickly changing deadlines
• A team player, who is able to confidentially adapt their interpersonal approach as the situation demands, able to build strong relations both inter-departmentally and with external stakeholders
• An individual who is not only comfortable but thrives in a high-pressure environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Outlook, Word and Excel
• Excellent spoken and written English

Department overview

Key Relationships             

• External – Banks, Insurance, Counterparties.
• Internal – Operations, Traders, Contracts, Treasury, Securitization, Accounting & Deals Desk

Reporting Structure         

• Manager at TGS