Financial Trader (Shipping)

Job description

The Shipping Financial Trading team plays a crucial role in maximizing the value of the shipping business through optimizing price risk management strategies of our trading and equity sales tonnage, executing trading strategies based on market dynamics and providing advisory to counterparties on price structured solutions. Purpose The Shipping Financial Trader is responsible for maximising the value of Anglo American’s Shipping portfolio through disciplined freight risk management, proprietary FFA trading, rigorous market analysis and effective execution of freight derivatives, with a primary focus on supporting the hedging requirements of the physical Shipping business. Success in the position requires strong commercial judgement, analytical rigour, decisive execution and disciplined risk management. The role will form independent market views, challenge assumptions constructively, identify mispricing across freight routes and the forward curve, and respond confidently as market conditions change. This requires a thorough understanding of the financial characteristics of FFAs, macroeconomic drivers and the underlying physical freight market. Working closely with the physical Shipping team and other commercial stakeholders, the trader will support the identification and management of freight risk, translate physical exposures into effective hedging strategies, and help enable commercially competitive physical decisions. Within approved mandates, the trader will take ownership of trading decisions, maintain high standards of governance and controls, and communicate market views, risks and recommendations clearly to stakeholders. Through close integration with the physical Shipping business, the trader will contribute to stronger risk-adjusted outcomes and sustainable value creation. Key responsibilities include Performance & Delivery Market Analysis and Trading Strategy Provide thought leadership in freight market developments and trading strategies. Develop comprehensive and forward-looking view of the dry-bulk freight market by analysing vessel supply, cargo demand, fleet utilisation, congestion, weather, seasonality, commodity flows, physical fixtures, forward curves and broader macroeconomic developments. Interpret movements across key freight routes, vessel classes and contract periods, distinguishing short-term market noise from sustained changes in freight-market fundamentals. Analyse the relationship between physical freight markets and FFA pricing, including spot-to-forward dynamics, route spreads, time spreads, basis relationships, liquidity conditions and market positioning. Translate market analysis into clear, actionable trading and hedging recommendations with defined rationale, timing, risk parameters and expected outcomes. Identify relative-value and outright opportunities across freight routes, calendar periods and related markets, while assessing liquidity, carry, roll dynamics and basis risk. Maintain awareness of competitor behaviour, counterparty activity and structural developments in freight and commodity markets to identify emerging risks and opportunities. Communicate market views and trading recommendations clearly, confidently and concisely to the Financial Trading team, physical Shipping teams and relevant stakeholders. Price Risk Management Work closely with physical Shipping team and commercial stakeholders to understand the Shipping portfolio’s current and anticipated freight exposure. Develop appropriate hedging strategies for physical freight exposures, taking account of route, vessel class, timing, volume, index exposure, liquidity, hedge effectiveness and residual basis risk. Recommend the appropriate combination of FFA contracts, structures and execution periods to manage freight-price risk efficiently within the approved risk-management framework. Evaluate the trade-off between risk reduction, hedge cost, liquidity and potential opportunity cost when recommending or executing hedging strategies. Support the physical Chartering desk in evaluating freight economics and developing innovative, competitive and value-maximising commercial offers. Trade Execution and Position Management Execute FFA and other approved freight-related derivative transactions through exchanges, clearing platforms, banks and OTC counterparties in accordance with delegated authorities, approved mandates and company policies. Demonstrate strong execution judgement by assessing liquidity, market depth, bid-offer dynamics, timing, information leakage, counterparty selection and transaction cost. Manage orders and positions actively, maintaining awareness of market conditions and adjusting execution strategy to achieve the intended commercial or risk-management outcome. Monitor outright positions, route spreads, time spreads, option exposures where applicable, hedge ratios and concentration risks against approved limits. Maintain a clear understanding of the risk and reward of each position, including the underlying market thesis, key sensitivities, downside scenarios and conditions that would invalidate the original view. Respond decisively to changing market conditions while avoiding reactive or undisciplined trading. Maintain accurate and timely records of trading rationale, transactions, exposures and relevant approvals. Build and maintain effective relationships with brokers, banks, clearing members, exchanges and trading counterparties to support reliable market access, strong price discovery and efficient execution. Risk, Governance and Compliance Conduct all trading activity within approved mandates, delegated authorities, position limits and governance frameworks. Maintain a current understanding of the policies, procedures and regulatory requirements applicable to financial trading, derivatives, market conduct and counterparty engagement. Ensure that trades are accurately captured, appropriately confirmed and supported by the necessary approvals and documentation. Monitor market, basis, liquidity, counterparty and operational risks associated with the trader’s positions and proposed strategies. Understand the impact of transactions on portfolio risk measures, including value at risk, and relevant limit utilisation. Escalate actual or potential breaches, control weaknesses and unusual market activity immediately through the appropriate channels. Work closely with Risk, Finance, Treasury, Legal, Compliance and IT/operational teams to resolve issues and strengthen trading processes. Maintain high standards of integrity, confidentiality and professional conduct in all internal and external interactions. Adherence to all Anglo American Group and Marketing policies and procedures. A degree or qualification in commerce, business, finance or a related field. A minimum of 5 years’ experience in financial trading or a related role, such as developing and providing trading strategies in bulk freight markets. Strong relationships with trading counterparties and freight market stakeholders. General expertise in other global commodities and their fundamental drivers. Proven ability to work effectively with stakeholders across an organisation, including Risk, Legal, Accounting, Tax, Compliance, Operations and Shipping. Specific Knowledge Requirements: This role requires extensive experience and knowledge in financial trading, including a strong understanding of financial derivative markets and the ability to develop and execute trading strategies that add value to the organisation. Expertise in financial derivatives, specifically freight and bulks markets. Sound knowledge of financial modelling; comfortable working with large and imperfect datasets, developing models and testing assumptions without treating model outputs as unquestionable facts. Sound knowledge of the fundamental drivers of freight markets. Sound knowledge of the physical freight market, including standard charter party terms, their interpretation and relevance to the business. Other Requirements: Market and Trading Expertise Strong market judgement: Able to form and defend an independent freight market view while remaining willing to change that view when the evidence changes. Physical freight understanding: Understands how vessel supply, cargo flows, chartering activity, route economics and physical fixtures influence spot and forward freight pricing. FFA technical expertise: Understands route contracts, settlement mechanisms, forward curves, time spreads, route spreads, liquidity, basis risk and the relationship between physical exposures and financial hedges. Broader freight market understanding: Understands the key drivers affecting freight markets, including iron ore, bauxite, coal, grains, weather and other relevant commodity markets. Commercial mindset: Evaluates trades and hedges in terms of executable value, risk adjusted return and contribution to the underlying Shipping business. Execution skill: Understands market depth, broker behaviour, bid offer dynamics, liquidity, slippage and information leakage, and incorporates these considerations into trade execution. Analytical and Risk Capabilities Analytical rigour: Comfortable working with large and imperfect datasets, developing models and testing assumptions without treating model outputs as unquestionable facts. Decisiveness under pressure: Able to make timely decisions in fast moving or illiquid markets without compromising risk discipline or governance. Risk discipline: Sizes positions appropriately, defines downside scenarios and responds quickly when the original trading rationale is no longer valid. Intellectual curiosity: Consistently seeks to understand changing market structures, new information sources, competitor behaviour and cross market relationships. Emotional consistency: Maintains decision discipline through profits, losses and volatile market conditions without allowing recent outcomes to distort risk judgement. Collaboration, Communication and Accountability Constructive challenge: Confident enough to challenge assumptions and proposed decisions while maintaining productive relationships with the physical desk and control functions. Clear communication: Able to turn complex freight analysis into concise trading recommendations, including what to do, why it should be done, the key risks and what would change the view. Ownership and accountability: Takes responsibility for analysis, execution and outcomes, identifies mistakes early and focuses on improving future decisions rather than defending past ones. Integrity and control awareness: Understands that sustained trading performance depends on sound governance, transparent escalation and consistent compliance with approved mandates. Who We Are We aim to lead the industry by pursuing ever safer ways of working, demonstrating integrity and showing care and respect for people and the planet. That means we are constantly seeking new opportunities to mine and process our products sustainably, using less water, less energy and more precise extraction technologies. Our extraordinary teams work safely and collaboratively, with the utmost consideration for local communities, our customers and the world at large. What We Offer When you join Anglo American, you can expect to enjoy a competitive salary and benefits package. But more than this, you’ll find yourself in an environment where the opportunities for learning and growth are second to none. From technical training to leadership programmes, we bring out the best in our people. There are plenty of opportunities to move onwards and upwards too. We’re a large, successful multinational company – and we’re still growing all the time. How We Are Committed To Your Safety Nothing is more important to us than ensuring you return home safely after a day’s work. To make that happen, we have the most rigorous safety standards in the industry. Not only that, we’re also continually investing in new technologies that are helping to make mining safer. Inclusion and Diversity We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are. We provide equality of opportunity to enable everyone to fulfil their potential. #LI-AO1 Anglo American's Shipping Division is the Group's exclusive 'in-house' ocean freight service provider, offering a comprehensive range of shipping services to our business units around the world. Using global scale and strength, we aim to optimise our marine activities and provide safe, reliable, compliant and competitive freight to our commodity businesses and their customers in today's dynamic marketplace.