Sr. Contracts Analyst
19 days ago
Houston
The Senior Contracts Analyst is responsible for leading the drafting, negotiation, execution, and oversight of highly complex physical trading contracts across Oil, Metals, and related products. This role ensures that contractual documentation accurately reflects commercial agreements, complies with corporate standards, and mitigates operational, legal, and financial risk across the trade lifecycle. Operating with a high level of autonomy, the Senior Contracts Analyst acts as a subject‑matter expert, advising Traders, Operations, Management, and Legal on contract structures, risk allocation, and regulatory implications. The role contributes directly to business performance, dispute management, and process optimization, and plays a key role in coaching and developing junior colleagues. Main Responsibilities Contract Drafting, Negotiation & Execution • Lead the drafting and negotiation of complex, bespoke oil and metal trading contracts, including non‑standard clauses, structured deals, long‑term agreements, optionality structures, and multi‑modal supply chains., • Negotiate General Terms & Conditions (GT&Cs), master agreements, and bespoke frameworks with counterparties in alignment with risk appetite and commercial strategy., • Perform advanced analysis of contractual, commercial, operational, and legal risks; propose mitigation strategies and escalate when needed., • Lead the resolution of high‑complexity disputes, discrepancies, and claims with counterparties, brokers, and internal functions., • Oversee the accuracy of trade capture for complex structures and ensure contract terms and ETRM data are fully aligned., • Act as the senior point of contact for Traders, providing strategic guidance on contractual positioning, negotiation strategy, and risk allocation., • Collaborate extensively with Legal, Compliance, Credit, Operations, Finance, and Audit on contract-related issues., • Lead improvements to contract templates, clause libraries, procedures, and controls to support new products, new markets, and regulatory changes., • Coach, mentor, and support junior and intermediate Contracts Analysts., • Provide training on contract interpretation, negotiation techniques, and risk assessment., • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Law, Economics, or related field., • Minimum 5–7 years+ of experience in drafting, negotiating, and managing physical trading contracts in Oil, Metals, or other commodities., • Extensive experience dealing with complex commercial structures and multi‑modal logistics (vessel, barge, rail, truck, pipeline, terminal)., • Proven track record of resolving complex disputes and leading negotiations with counterparties., • Expert knowledge of Incoterms, pricing structures, shipping documentation, quality and quantity determination, and GAFTA/ISDA/EFET-style terms., • Strong ability to interpret and draft legal clauses, including liability, indemnity, force majeure, sanctions, and compliance-related provisions., • Strong understanding of ETRM systems and trade lifecycle processes., • High proficiency in Microsoft Office; ability to work with data and templates with accuracy and speed., • Strong commercial mindset and negotiation skills., • Proven ability to handle high-pressure, fast-paced trading environments., • Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities., • High attention to detail and strong problem‑solving capability., • Fluency in written and spoken business English., • Additional languages (e.g., French, German, Spanish, Mandarin) highly valued depending on region.