Role Overview
We are looking for a sharp, commercially minded Desk Analyst / Trader to join our dry freight and ferrous desk in Singapore. This is a front-office role sitting at the intersection of physical dry bulk freight, iron ore, and steel markets - supporting senior traders while building an independent book over time. The right candidate will be analytically rigorous, deeply curious about commodity flows, and able to translate data into actionable trading views.
Key Responsibilities
1) Market Analysis & Research
- Build and maintain supply/demand balance sheets for dry bulk freight (Capesize, Panamax) and ferrous commodities (iron ore, steel) on a weekly and monthly basis
- Track vessel supply, port congestion, fleet utilisation, and tonne-mile demand across key trade routes
- Monitor Chinese steel production, iron ore port inventories, mill margins, and procurement patterns as primary demand drivers
- Produce daily and weekly market commentary synthesising freight, ferrous, and macro inputs into a coherent trading view
- Develop and own proprietary datasets, flow trackers, and pricing tools to support desk decision-making
2) Trading Support & Execution
- Support senior traders in managing physical and paper positions across FFAs, iron ore swaps, and related derivatives
- Assist in the pricing and execution of FFA trades, options, and structured products including balance-of-month and Asian average instruments
- Monitor open positions, mark-to-market, Greeks exposure, and risk limits in real time
- Liaise with brokers, counterparties, and clearing houses on trade confirmation and settlement
3) Relationship & Intelligence
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with Chinese mills, trading houses, miners, and shipowners to gather on-the-ground market intelligence
- Engage with Chinese-language market sources, industry reports, and counterparty communications directly in Mandarin
- Attend industry conferences and maintain an active network across the Singapore and broader Asian commodity community
Candidate Profile
Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in dry freight, iron ore, or steel markets
- Background from a dry freight physical operator, FFA trading desk, iron ore or steel trading house, or mining/resources company strongly preferred
- Prior trading experience, whether physical or paper, is a distinct advantage
- Hands-on experience building supply/demand models, freight rate forecasting tools, or commodity balance sheets
Skills & Attributes:
- Fluency in Mandarin (written and spoken) is required as this role will need to communicate and engage with Chinese-speaking counterparties and to access Chinese-language market sources
- Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to construct, maintain, and challenge supply/demand balance sheets from first principles
- Strong command of Excel
- Experience with Python, Power BI, or similar analytical tools is a plus
- Deep understanding of the physical dry bulk market - vessel types, cargo flows, port dynamics, laycans, and charter party conventions
- Working knowledge of iron ore pricing mechanics - index-linked pricing, portside inventory dynamics, steel mill economics, and seaborne trade flows
- Familiarity with derivatives markets - FFAs, iron ore swaps, options, and Asian average rate pricing
- Commercially driven with sound risk instincts and a willingness to take and defend a market view
- High attention to detail, able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced trading environment
- Strong communicator - able to present market views clearly and concisely to senior traders and management
Qualifications:
- Degree in Economics, Finance, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related quantitative discipline preferred
