Veg Oil Trader

Job Purpose and Impact

The Vege Oil Trader will be responsible for Merchandising Imported Edible Oil such as CPO, RBD Oln and SFO into the local Indian market from various port location but mainly pertaining to the East coast of India (KP/Kaki/Chennai/Haldia). In this role, you will monitor a supplier base and fulfill transactions, delivering commodities that meet production requirements and specifications in terms of timing, volume, quantity and cost.

Key Accountabilities

Trading & Commercial Strategy

• Develop and execute profitable trading strategies for imported edible oils across Indian markets.
• Manage physical trading positions, inventory exposure, and pricing risk to optimize portfolio profitability.
• Identify and capture arbitrage opportunities between origins, ports, customer segments, and competing oils.
• Monitor global vegetable oil markets, including Palm Oil, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil, and related feedstocks, and translate market intelligence into actionable trading decisions.
• Build and maintain trading books to achieve volume, margin, and P&L targets.

Market Analysis & Price Risk Management

• Analyze domestic and international market fundamentals including supply-demand balances, crop outlooks, import parity, crush economics, stock levels, and government policies.
• Monitor futures markets, basis relationships, currency movements, freight rates, and competitor activity to support trading decisions.
• Recommend pricing, hedging, and risk-management strategies to manage market volatility and protect margins.
• Work closely with Risk Management and Trade Analytics teams to manage position exposure and portfolio performance.

Customer & Supplier Development

• Build strategic relationships with refiners, food manufacturers, distributors, and trade houses across India.
• Identify new customer opportunities and develop trading solutions tailored to customer requirements.
• Negotiate commercial contracts involving pricing, volume, delivery terms, and payment structures.
• Collaborate with international trading desks and suppliers to optimize sourcing and trade flows.

Portfolio Optimization & Execution

• Manage inventory and sales liquidation across bonded, high-seas, and ex-tank positions to maximize returns.
• Optimize freight, storage, and logistics economics to enhance trade margins.
• Ensure effective coordination with logistics, execution, finance, quality, credit, and operations teams to support seamless trade execution.
• Evaluate inventory holding strategies and working capital impacts to maximize risk-adjusted returns.

Market Intelligence & Collaboration

• Partner closely with TDA and Market Intelligence teams to assess:
• Domestic crushing margins and crush economics.
• Import parity and export competitiveness.
• Port stock positions and inventory trends.
• Regional demand patterns and substitution dynamics between edible oils.
• Provide market insights and trade recommendations to leadership and stakeholders.
• Contribute to regional and global market outlook discussions and commercial strategy development.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of vegetable oil fundamentals, futures markets, risk management, and physical commodity trading.
• Proven ability to interpret market data and convert insights into profitable trading decisions.
• Experience managing physical positions, customer portfolios, and price-risk exposure.
• Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills, and relationship management capabilities.
• Ability to make decisions in fast-moving and volatile commodity markets.
• P&L-driven mindset with a strong focus on value creation and margin optimization.