Head of Trading IT Front Office

at  Trafigura

Main Purpose:
As the Head of Front Office, you will be responsible for overseeing the successful planning, execution, and delivery of technology initiatives within the front office of the commodity trading domain. You will collaborate closely with stakeholders across different functions, ensuring alignment between business objectives and IT solutions. This role requires a deep understanding of commodity trading processes, coupled with strong technical, project management and leadership skills.
Knowledge Skills and Abilities, Key Responsibilities:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Applied Math or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years’ of IT experience with a focus on IT projects in the commodity trading domain.
• Proven 5+ years’ experience of playing a leading role in developing and implementing business strategies and goals in Front Office area
• Proven 5+ years’ experience of managing relationships with vendors and third-party systems provides
• Experience and strong understanding of commodity trading processes, including physical and derivatives trading, risk management, market data management and regulatory compliance
• Demonstrated technology leadership abilities, including architecture, technology strategy, technology operations, software engineering and continuous improvements, with experience leading cross-functional distributed teams in a dynamic multi-cultural environment
• Demonstrable experience of interacting with mid & senior-level management to influence tactical and strategy decisions
• Ability to exercise judgment and evaluate options under circumstances not covered by procedures or precedents;
• Proven expertise in delivering concurrent activities with short-term deadlines
• Proven ability to independently solve problems and must be willing to take ownership of issues and drive them through to completion
• Familiarity with technology stacks commonly used in commodity trading systems (e.g., CTRM platforms, market data feeds, trading algorithms). Proficiency in Murex platform is a big plus.
• Strong sense of customer focus
• Excellent teamwork skills and an ability to influence and engage others.
• Comfortable presenting information in virtual and in-person environments (both written and oral)
• Ability to apply conceptual solutions, with a pragmatic approach, in multiple functional areas, to achieve business objectives

Key Responsibilities

• Programme Management:
• Lead the end-to-end delivery of IT projects within the derivatives trading and the front office of the commodity trading domains
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, including scope, timelines, budgets, and resource allocation
• Monitor project progress, identify risks, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful delivery
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, including developers, analysts, and business stakeholders, to achieve project objectives.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including commodity traders, risk managers, and IT teams, to identify, scope and deliver new systems, functionality and processes in the front office area
• Manage the project communications across stakeholders, subject matter experts, executives and other internal groups through effective written and verbal communication. This includes business case development, stakeholder identification and communication, participant identification, communication and required training and project action plan development
• Communicate project status, risks, and dependencies effectively to stakeholders at all levels
• Manage expectations and ensure alignment between business goals and IT solutions.
• Maintain professional relationships across the business units to help identify and maximise opportunities and provide seamless support for end-to-end process evaluation and improvement
• Engage closely with business stakeholders to implement IT initiatives and manage required training, migrations and dependencies on system changes
• Collaborate with other IT teams and programme managers to identify impact of their projects on the Front Office area, manage the dependencies, mitigate potential risks and advocate for the Front Office stakeholders
• Technical Expertise:
• Possess a strong understanding of commodity trading processes, including trading strategies, risk management, market data management, etc.
• Evaluate technology solutions and provide recommendations based on business needs, feasibility, and scalability.
• Stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies relevant to commodity trading IT systems.
• Delivery and Team Leadership:
• Define and implement analysis, development and quality assurance processes to ensure delivery of the reliability, performance, and security of IT systems.
• Decompose delivery work into incremental deliveries that bring business values
• Provide leadership and mentorship to project teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Set clear expectations, objectives, and performance metrics for team members.
• Promote professional development and continuous learning within the team.

Key Relationships and Department Overview:

Key Relationships

• Commodity Trades, Front Office Business Users & Managers
• Risk Management team
• Data Science Engineering team
• Market Data Business users and consumers
• IT programme – Functional & technical architecture & solution groups, delivery teams included delivery leads, PMs, developers, testers, business analysts, training team, application support team.

Reporting Structure

• Reporting directly to CIO of Trading

• Programme Management:
• Lead the end-to-end delivery of IT projects within the derivatives trading and the front office of the commodity trading domains
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, including scope, timelines, budgets, and resource allocation
• Monitor project progress, identify risks, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful delivery
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, including developers, analysts, and business stakeholders, to achieve project objectives.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including commodity traders, risk managers, and IT teams, to identify, scope and deliver new systems, functionality and processes in the front office area
• Manage the project communications across stakeholders, subject matter experts, executives and other internal groups through effective written and verbal communication. This includes business case development, stakeholder identification and communication, participant identification, communication and required training and project action plan development
• Communicate project status, risks, and dependencies effectively to stakeholders at all levels
• Manage expectations and ensure alignment between business goals and IT solutions.
• Maintain professional relationships across the business units to help identify and maximise opportunities and provide seamless support for end-to-end process evaluation and improvement
• Engage closely with business stakeholders to implement IT initiatives and manage required training, migrations and dependencies on system changes
• Collaborate with other IT teams and programme managers to identify impact of their projects on the Front Office area, manage the dependencies, mitigate potential risks and advocate for the Front Office stakeholders
• Technical Expertise:
• Possess a strong understanding of commodity trading processes, including trading strategies, risk management, market data management, etc.
• Evaluate technology solutions and provide recommendations based on business needs, feasibility, and scalability.
• Stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies relevant to commodity trading IT systems.
• Delivery and Team Leadership:
• Define and implement analysis, development and quality assurance processes to ensure delivery of the reliability, performance, and security of IT systems.
• Decompose delivery work into incremental deliveries that bring business values
• Provide leadership and mentorship to project teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Set clear expectations, objectives, and performance metrics for team members.
• Promote professional development and continuous learning within the team