Senior Power Trader

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

Job summary

Talisman is seeking a Senior Power Trader to own a proprietary speculative book across ISO/RTO power markets, including risk-taking and strategy development. You will manage day-ahead and real-time positions, assess dispersion and basis risks, and build quantitative models for strategy refinement.

Ideal candidates have a strong P&L track record, deep nodal pricing knowledge, and fluency with Python/SQL for backtesting. This is an autonomous, high-responsibility role on a power trading desk.

Qualifications

• 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

Responsibilities

• 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

Skills

Speculative trading

P&L management

Nodal pricing

Market analysis

Python / SQL / Excel

Autonomous work

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