Trade and Cost control Officer - Trading House - Oil

Michael Page (Switzerland); Genf; Remote; CHF 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Page (Switzerland) is seeking an experienced Trade & Cost Control Officer for an oil trading client. The role focuses on trade capture, verification, and cost control across physical and paper trading activities.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in trade support or finance operations within oil trading, hands-on ETRM experience, and strong accounting knowledge to liaise with external accounting firms. This is a permanent, on-site role with Swiss industry standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in trade support, middle office, or finance operations within an oil trading company (physical and/or paper crude/products trading).
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Record all confirmed trades into the trading system accurately and on time.
• Match trade tickets against broker confirmations, contracts, and counterparty confirmations; flag and resolve discrepancies.
• Collect and verify all trade-related invoices and ensure costs are allocated to the correct trade/cargo for accurate P&L attribution.
• Reconcile trade positions, inventory movements, and costs between the ETRM system and internal records; investigate and resolve breaks before month-end close.
• Prepare and package verified trade and expense data for the external accounting firm; act as point of contact for queries.

Skills

Attention to detail

Trade lifecycle understanding

Accounting fundamentals

Advanced Excel

Clear communication

Tools

ETRM systems

ERP/accounting software

Job description

About Our Client

For our client, an oil trading company, we are currently looking for :

A trade & Cost control officer

Job Description

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 elevate control weaknesses or process gaps

The Successful Applicant

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

What's on Offer

A permanent role in a medium size oil trading company