Senior Power Trader

talisman; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

talisman is seeking a Senior Power Trader to join its proprietary trading desk, owning a speculative trading book across ISO/RTO power markets. You will actively manage day-ahead/real-time positions, virtuals, and FTRs, leveraging independent market views to generate alpha.

The role requires a strong P&L track record, deep knowledge of nodal pricing, and robust risk management. You will work autonomously with advanced analytics to backtest and refine strategies.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of speculative/proprietary power trading with a verifiable P&L track record.
• Deep understanding of nodal pricing, LMP dynamics, and basis/congestion risk.
• Strong conviction-based trading instincts, able to take outright directional risk.
• Experience trading virtuals, spreads, and/or FTRs as pure financial instruments.
• Proficiency with trading/analytics platforms and Excel/SQL/Python for strategy development and backtesting.
• High risk tolerance with disciplined risk management.
• Ability to operate autonomously with accountability for book performance.

Responsibilities

• Manage a proprietary book of power positions across day-ahead and real-time spreads, virtuals, FTRs/CRRs, and forward curves.
• Take directional and relative-value positions based on independent market views.
• Generate risk-adjusted P&L through active position management.
• Develop proprietary trading strategies using fundamental analysis, signals, and quantitative models.
• Monitor weather/load/generation outages and transmission dynamics for opportunities.
• Exploit nodal price dislocations, congestion patterns, and basis spreads for alpha.
• Manage position sizing, stop-losses, and risk exposure within firm limits.
• Backtest and refine strategies based on market performance.

Skills

Speculative trading

P&L track record

Nodal pricing

LMP dynamics

FTRs/virtuals

Python/SQL/Excel

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