Head of Commodity Trading - Agricultural Derivatives

Farrer Capital Management; London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global agricultural commodity hedge fund seeks a Head of Commodity Trading - Agricultural Derivatives to drive returns through discretionary trading strategies. The successful candidate will have 10+ years of trading experience and will strengthen our leadership in agricultural markets.

Benefits

Competitive base salary

Performance-driven bonus structure

Long-term incentive opportunities (profit-sharing, equity)

Comprehensive benefits

Relocation support if required

Qualifications

• 10+ years in discretionary derivatives trading with strong P&L record.
• Deep expertise in futures, options, and OTC trading.
• Proven leadership managing trading and research teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of trading strategy across agricultural derivatives.
• Manage and mentor a global research and trading team.
• Oversee trading in listed agricultural futures and options.

Skills

Discretionary derivatives trading

Agricultural markets expertise

Analytical and decision-making skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, Economics, or related field

Job description

About Us:

We are a privately owned global agricultural commodity hedge fund, specialising in fundamental commodity trading. With a proven track record and an established global team, we deploy discretionary relative value strategies grounded in deep fundamental research, macro insight, and market expertise to generate alpha from agricultural futures, options and OTC markets.

Position Summary:

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Commodity Trading - Agricultural Derivatives to lead our high performing and tight not and coordinate our global derivatives trading strategy. This is a senior leadership role, reporting directly to the Chief Investment Officer (CIO), and is responsible for driving returns across discretionary trading strategies in agricultural markets. The role requires an entrepreneurial mindset that is excited about the prospect of building a big business, not just trading a book.

This role focuses exclusively on global commodity derivatives (futures, options, and OTC markets across global agricultural and energy markets including China.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic & Trading Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of the firm's discretionary trading strategy across agricultural derivatives markets.
• Work in close partnership with the CIO to align trading views with top-down investment themes and firm-wide objectives.
• Provide directional and relative value strategies based on the teams fundamental analysis and key market insights
  
  

Team Oversight & Global Coordination

• Manage and mentor an established, high-performing global research and trading team.
• Foster collaboration across the team and functions.
• Cultivate a culture of accountability, transparency, and performance
  
  

Market Engagement & Execution

• Oversee trading in listed agricultural futures, options, and structured derivative products on global exchanges.
• Evaluate macroeconomic, geopolitical, weather, and market-specific data to inform high-conviction trade ideas.
• Optimize trade expression, sizing, and timing based on liquidity, volatility, and risk parameters
  
  

Risk Management & Governance

• Ensure robust risk oversight, including monitoring of exposures, drawdowns, and limit adherence.
• Collaborate with risk, compliance, and operations teams to uphold a strong control framework.
• Maintain disciplined portfolio construction and scenario testing practices
  
  

Technology & Analytics Integration

• Leverage internal research, proprietary models, and third-party data to support decision-making.
• Partner with technology and analytics providers to enhance tools for discretionary trading and position management.
• Support the development of real-time dashboards, forecast models, and trade review systems
  
  

Requirements

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in discretionary derivatives trading, with a strong P&L record in agricultural markets.
• Deep expertise in futures, options, and OTC trading
• Proven leadership in managing trading and research teams within a hedge fund, trading house, or proprietary trading firm.
• Proven understanding of global agricultural fundamentals, macro drivers, and seasonal dynamics.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, Economics, or a related field
  
  

Preferred Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to lead both from a high level and on day-to-day trade execution.
• Exceptional analytical and decision-making skills under pressure.
• Experience operating across global markets and coordinating across time zones.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to represent the trading function with internal stakeholders and external partners
  
  

Compensation & Benefits:

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-driven bonus structure
• Long-term incentive opportunities (e.g., profit-sharing, equity)
• Comprehensive benefits and relocation support (if required)
  
  

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-driven bonus structure
• Long-term incentive opportunities (e.g., profit-sharing, equity)
• Comprehensive benefits and relocation support (if required)