Senior Power Trader

talisman; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

talisman, Houston-based proprietary trading desk, seeks a Senior Power Trader to own a speculative power book across ERCOT, PJM, and other ISO/RTO markets. You will trade day-ahead, real-time spreads, virtuals, FTRs/CRRs, and related forward curves.

You’ll rely on independent market views, build strategies with quantitative models, monitor weather and transmission dynamics, and manage risk with disciplined position sizing and stop losses to generate risk-adjusted P&L.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of speculative/proprietary power trading with verifiable P&L.
• Deep understanding of nodal pricing, LMP dynamics, and basis/congestion risk.
• Conviction-based trading with readiness to take outright directional risk.
• Experience trading virtuals, spreads and/or FTRs as financials.
• Proficiency with trading/analytics platforms and strong Excel/SQL/Python skills.
• High risk tolerance with disciplined risk management.

Responsibilities

• Manage a proprietary book of power positions (day-ahead/real-time spreads, virtuals, FTRs/CRRs).
• Take directional and relative-value positions based on independent market views.
• Generate risk-adjusted trading P&L through active position management.
• Develop proprietary trading strategies using quantitative models.
• Monitor weather/load outages and transmission dynamics to spot opportunities.
• Backtest and refine trading strategies based on market performance.

Skills

Power trading

P&L management

Python

SQL

Excel

Market analysis

Tools

Yes Energy

Genscape

ZEMA

Job description

Senior Power Trader — Proprietary/Speculative Trading

About the Role

We're looking for a Senior Power Trader to join a proprietary trading desk, taking full ownership of a speculative trading book across [ISO/RTO — e.g., PJM, ERCOT, MISO] power markets.

What You'll Do

• Manage a proprietary book of financial power positions — day-ahead/real-time spreads, virtuals, FTRs/CRRs, and forward curve exposure
• Take directional and relative-value positions based on independent market views, not tied to physical hedging or asset optimization
• Generate consistent, risk-adjusted trading P&L through active position management
• Develop proprietary trading strategies using fundamental analysis, technical signals, and quantitative models
• Monitor weather, load, generation outages, and transmission dynamics to identify trading opportunities
• Exploit nodal price dislocations, congestion patterns, and basis spreads for alpha generation
• Manage position sizing, stop-losses, and risk exposure independently within firm-set limits
• Continuously backtest and refine trading strategies based on market performance

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of speculative/proprietary power trading experience with a demonstrated, verifiable P&L track record
• Deep understanding of nodal pricing, LMP dynamics, and basis/congestion risk
• Strong conviction-based trading instincts — comfortable taking outright directional risk, not just hedging physical positions
• Experience trading virtuals, spreads, and/or FTRs as pure financial instruments
• Proficiency with trading/analytics platforms (e.g., Yes Energy, Genscape, ZEMA) and strong Excel/SQL/Python skills for strategy development and backtesting
• High risk tolerance paired with disciplined risk management
• Ability to operate autonomously with minimal oversight while remaining accountable for book performance