Trade Finance Officer

Main Purpose:

Trafigura is seeking an expert Trade Finance Officer to join our team in Singapore. Candidate needs to feel comfortable in a fast-paced environment, utilising experience and skills to handle large trading volumes and high-pressure deadlines. The TF Officer will be in contact with various internal and external stakeholders, namely our banking partners and commercial traders, and will be responsible for establishing good working relationships with them to obtain optimal, cost effective, and innovative financing solutions for Trafigura on an ongoing basis.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Min 5 years within a Trading Company / Financial institution having gained a good understanding of the principals surrounding Trade Finance instruments and their pitfalls
• Fluent English, additional language is a plus
• Attention for detail but with capacity to summarize information and understand “global picture”
• Ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner both externally and internally including reporting to finance senior management from time to time
• Good logical and analytical skills
• The Officer needs to be proactive, establish positive relationships with banks, match each deal with the best bank’s profile, negotiate rates, have cost awareness
• Capable of handling complicated transactions and getting banks comfortable outside of standard procedures:
• e.g. how to finance it, how to engage with banks, interaction with operations, establish banking facilities
• Problem solving and innovator: the Officer challenges the trader’s financing structure proposals by suggesting improvements
• Experience and level of confidence: reactive and stays calm under pressure
• Establishing a good communication network to keep informed about various stages of trade flow during the life cycle of a trade
• Understanding of various risk involved in day to day operations and good understanding of INCOTERMs

Key Responsibilities

• Weekly monitoring and mark to market of any stock positions
• Ensuring timely processing of payments together with running cash positions with the banks
• Risk covering sales where necessary with banks and/or insurance
• Review and Issuance of L/Cs or Bank Guarantees for the group purchases of commodities
• Analysing financing requirements and negotiating with banks in order to place transactions under Borrowing bases, bilateral facilities or Repurchase agreements
• Monitoring of utilisation and decision making for financing optimization
• Negotiation and Documentation of such financing facilities instruments
• Preparation and dispatch of invoices and original documents for payment under documentary letters of credit received from buyers
• Finding and structuring the most appropriate and cost-effective banking solutions for physical trading activities
• Controlling and monitoring risks related to the daily purchases and sales of Commodities
• Handling new trades and flows in close coordination with commercial and operations departments
• Acquiring bank lines and/or establishes new banking relationships (entities, products) as and where necessary
• Participating in the training of junior team members
• Assessing physical transactions for risk and compatibility for relevant financing facility
• Reporting on credit/performance exposure and risk related to finance management
• Handling all aspects of LCs and collections
• Reviewing and approving spot and term contracts and tenders for finance associated risks

Key Relationships

• Traders
• Operations
• Treasury
• Compliance
• Banks
• Counterparties
• Insurance
• Other finance departments