Job Description
Trader, Petrochemicals
Department: Petrochemicals
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Reporting To: General Manager of Petrochemical
Who We Are
PetroChina Company Ltd is a state-owned business and the publicly listed arm of the China National Petroleum Corporation “CNPC”, one of the world’s largest global commodity trading companies. PetroChina International a subsidiary of PetroChina Company Ltd, serves as the international trading arm and was founded in 2002 based in Beijing and has setup multiple subsidiaries and offices in 20+ countries, including three major Oil and Gas Trading and Operation Hubs in Houston (covering the Americas), London (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Singapore (Asia).
PetroChina International is actively exploring international markets, developing value added trades, extending the value chain, innovating in trade models, and continuously enhancing trade methods.
The Company’s trading activities are now covering more than 100 kinds of products and through merger, acquisition, investment and equity participation, several business centres have been formed and integrated with storage facilities, refining capabilities, oil tanks and terminals as well as transportation capabilities in global main energy producing areas. All these investments provide strong support for the steady development of the Company’s international businesses.
Who You Are / Your Next Challenge
Our Petrochemicals department continues to be a key strategic growth area for PetroChina International, focused on expanding market participation, developing new trading flows and strengthening our position across international petrochemical markets.
We are now searching for a commercially minded, entrepreneurial and results-driven Petrochemical Trader, Aromatics to join our team in Rotterdam Reporting directly to the General Manager of Petrochemical, you will play a leading role in the trading, marketing and business development of aromatic and intermediate petrochemical products across Europe, Africa and Turkey
This role offers the opportunity to take ownership of trading activities across a diverse product portfolio including toluene, o-xylene, styrene, PTA, alkylbenzene and other intermediates, with responsibility for driving trading volumes, profitability and market expansion. The successful candidate will be expected to identify and execute profitable trading opportunities, build long-term commercial relationships and actively contribute to the continued growth of the business.
Current State of Play
The Petrochemicals business continues to expand its international footprint, supported by an established global trading platform, strong balance sheet and extensive network across supply, logistics and customer markets.
Working closely with colleagues in Rotterdam, London and headquarters in China, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to leverage PetroChina's international infrastructure while developing and growing trading activities across the aromatics value chain. This includes collaboration with global product teams, market development initiatives and opportunities to identify and capture regional arbitrage and optimisation opportunities.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the trading, marketing and business development of aromatic and related petrochemical products across Europe, Africa and Turkey.
- Execute physical trading activities including pricing, contract negotiation, order management and delivery execution.
- Develop and maintain strong commercial relationships with producers, distributors, customers and trading counterparties.
- Identify profitable trading opportunities and develop strategies to optimise trading volume, margins and profitability.
- Monitor market trends, pricing developments, supply-demand balances and competitor activities across key markets.
- Track regional and international trade flows and identify arbitrage opportunities across products and geographies.
- Work closely with logistics and operations teams to ensure efficient execution and delivery of transactions.
- Manage inventory, storage and warehousing requirements to support commercial performance and customer demand.
- Ensure compliance with REACH regulations, import requirements and local market standards.
- Collaborate with product teams at headquarters in China to align trading activities with wider.
- Where appropriate, support trading performance through paper trading and hedging activities.
- Represent the company at industry events, conferences, exhibitions and customer meetings.
What we’re looking for / Skills that will help you in the role
- Significant experience within petrochemical trading, marketing or sales, ideally covering aromatics, toluene, o-xylene, styrene, PTA, alkylbenzene, other intermediates or related petrochemical products.
- Strong understanding of European, African and Turkish petrochemical markets and trade flows.Proven experience within international import/export trading environments.
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to grow both trading volumes and profitability. Demonstrable trader mentality combined with strong sales and business development capability.
- Knowledge of REACH and broader European regulatory requirements.
- Self-driven and entrepreneurial, with the ability to work independently in a multicultural and international environment.
- Bachelor's degree (or above) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, International Trade, Business or a related discipline.
- Excellent negotiation skills with a proven track record of closing complex transactions.
- Confident commercial risk-taker with conviction for commercial strategies and frameworks, including derivatives trading and hedging techniques.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and proficient at building relationships at all levels and influencing a range of senior stakeholders, challenging decision making to help drive continuous improvement.
- Previous work experience in a small, high-performance team with a collaborative approach, can-do attitude.
Please note This is a full-time, permanent position with the job based in Rotterdam, Netherlands and is office based. The role will involve regular interaction with international stakeholders and periodic travel across Europe, Africa and Turkey as required. This role offers a relocation package and/or VISA sponsorship.
What you get in return
This role offers a competitive salary (commensurate with experience), plus a comprehensive benefits package including Insurance coverage; Private Medical (for self and family); Travel (for self and family); Dental (for self); Life Assurance, Gym membership, Pension contributory by Company, up to 30 days holiday allowance per annum rising after service (in addition to bank holidays), discretionary performance related bonus and more.
Interested?
If the role sounds like you, we encourage you to apply directly via the company career website.
Start Date Position is available to start immediately (we are flexible on notice period for the right candidate).
Strictly No Recruitment Agencies; any submission of CV’s without prior request/ engagement from PetroChina International / Petroineos will not be deemed as an introduction and therefore will not warrant an introduction fee.
