Job Description

The future of energy is digitized, decarbonized and localized. At SmartestEnergy, we need revolutionary thinkers to help our customers make the most of this new landscape, thinking differently to find smart solutions to complex problems. 

Formed in 2001, we’re an agile business driven by entrepreneurial thinking. As a subsidiary of the Marubeni Corporation, we also have strong investment and infrastructure behind us. As well as our three offices in the US, we have three offices in the UK and another in Australia.  Further expansion is planned for 2025 and beyond which means global career opportunities for you, with plenty of potential to explore new markets. 

When you join our Team, you will have the opportunity to contribute and make an impact every single day. 

Overview

We are looking for a proactive and commercially focused Energy Trading Associate to join our Power & Gas trading team. This role is critical in increasing the use of bilateral counterparties to support the optimization of exchange-traded transactions and providing more bilateral hedging transactions to the wider Origination and Retail teams. More widely, this role improves cash efficiency, provides tangible market insight to the Traders which can competitiveness and increases trading flexibility to dynamically respond. The ideal candidate will have a good understanding of energy markets, excellent relationship-building skills, and a keen interest in trade execution and strategy. Additionally, this role will provide market oversight and position management to the Energy Traders when they are absent from the desk.

This role is anticipated to work out of our Houston, TX office at least 2-3 days per week with remote work capability provided for the other days, as desired.

In this role, you will be involved with the following:

• Support the overall profitability of the trading desk in optimizing exchange-based transactions by identifying and executing bilateral alternatives that improve cash efficiency, maintain cash use within targets and more effectively utilize margin.
• Develop, re-establish and maintain strong relationships with bilateral counterparties, including utilities, industrials, marketers, and financial institutions.
• Managing internal transaction flows from origination mid-marketing and bespoke retail pricing customers by responding with price quotes; executing corresponding hedging transactions with bilateral counterparties to manage risk.
• Collaborate with traders to structure and negotiate bilateral deals that align with portfolio and risk objectives.
• Support the Traders by supervising existing positions and responding to movements in market prices within predefined price triggers to cover short term absence.
• Monitor market conditions, pricing trends, and liquidity across exchanges and bilateral markets.
• Assist in the preparation of transaction documentation, including term sheets, confirmations, and trade records.
• Work closely with internal teams (credit, risk, legal, analytics) to ensure we maintain approvals and the ability for seamless trade execution with counterparties, including where necessary to support with transaction capture of deals undertaken by the Energy Traders
• Maintain and update counterparty databases and CRM tools to track engagement and deal flow.
• Provide market intelligence and commercial insights to support trading strategies and decision-making.

To be successful in this role, you are likely to have the following skills/experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• 1–3 years of experience in energy trading, mid-marketing, or sales (internships or entry-level roles welcome).
• Familiarity with North American power and gas markets, including ISO/RTO structures and exchange platforms (e.g., ICE, CME).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to build and maintain trust with counterparties.
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and CRM systems; experience with ETRM platforms is a plus.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and analytical skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic trading environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Exposure to physical and financial energy products, including forwards, swaps, and options.
• Understanding of margining, collateral management, and cash optimization strategies.
• Experience with bilateral contract negotiation and trade lifecycle management.

Diversity

Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to what we do. We value everybody irrespective of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability and genetic information (including family medical history). EOE.

We know that for our business to thrive we need diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the countries in which we operate. We view diversity as one of the key enablers that helps our business to grow.

We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As such, if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to the HR & People Team via email us-hrssc@smartestenergy.com so we can discuss with you further.

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