Head of Operations — Petroleum & Petrochemical Trading

The Opportunity

Our client is a well-established Singapore-headquartered trading house in petroleum and petrochemical products, with a multi-decade track record and physical flows spanning Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. The business combines physical trading, structured logistics, financial hedging, and technical support to counterparties.

They are appointing a Head of Operations to lead the execution engine behind the trade. The client's identity will be disclosed to shortlisted candidates.

The Role

Reporting to the CEO, you will own the full physical and documentary lifecycle of every trade — from contract confirmation through vessel movement, customs clearance, delivery, and settlement. This is a hands-on leadership role with direct accountability for operational risk, cost, and counterparty experience, with particular weight on North Asia trade lanes.

Key Responsibilities

Trade Execution & Operations

• Own end-to-end execution of physical cargo movements: contract review, nomination, documentation, inspection, delivery, and settlement
• Manage letters of credit, bills of lading, certificates of origin, and quality/quantity documentation with Finance and trade finance partners
• Resolve quality claims, quantity discrepancies, demurrage, and contractual disputes with counterparties

Logistics & Supply Chain

• Direct chartering, freight negotiation, vessel and barge scheduling, and terminal/storage arrangements
• Optimise routing, tankage, and blending logistics to protect margin
• Manage surveyors, agents, terminals, and freight forwarders

North Asia Market Operations

• Lead operational delivery into and out of North Asia, with primary focus on China
• Navigate PRC import/export licensing, customs and bonded logistics regimes, port and terminal practice, and local regulatory requirements affecting petrochemical cargoes
• Build and maintain working relationships with terminals, agents, inspection bodies, and counterparty operations teams across the region

Risk, Compliance & Controls

• Enforce operational risk controls, sanctions screening, KYC, and trade compliance across all movements
• Support the trading desk on hedging execution and position reconciliation
• Own HSE standards across handling and storage operations

Leadership & Systems

• Lead, structure, and develop the operations team
• Drive process standardisation and CTRM/ERP adoption to improve visibility and reduce execution error
• Report operational performance, cost, and exposure to the CEO

Requirements

• Minimum 12 years in physical commodity trading operations, including at least 4 years leading a team or department
• Demonstrable operating track record across North Asia trade lanes, with substantive hands-on experience of the China market - PRC customs, import/export licensing, bonded warehousing, and port/terminal practice for petroleum or petrochemical cargoes
• Strong command of Incoterms, charter party terms, LC mechanics, and international trade documentation
• Proven ability to manage demurrage, claims, and counterparty disputes to commercial resolution
• Working knowledge of hedging instruments and their operational settlement implications
• Degree in Supply Chain, Chemical Engineering, Maritime Studies, Business, or a related discipline
• Proficiency in written and spoken Mandarin is required, as the role involves daily negotiation and documentation handling with Mandarin-speaking suppliers, terminals, customs agents, and counterparty operations teams in China where English is not the working language
• Willingness to travel regionally as required

What's On Offer

• Direct reporting line to the CEO with genuine decision-making scope
• Ownership of the operations function end to end, across trading, logistics, finance, and technical interfaces
• An established platform with long-standing counterparty relationships across multiple regions

Application: All applications are handled in strict confidence. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and will be briefed on the client's identity at that stage.

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants are considered on the basis of merit, skills, and experience.

[EA Licence No. 11C3030|EA Personnel Reg. No. R1440705]