Senior Spot Trader

Who are we?

The future of energy is digitised, decarbonised, and localised. At SmartestEnergy Australia, 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 2020, we’re an agile business driven by entrepreneurial thinking. As a subsidiary of the Marubeni Corporation and SmartestEnergy Limited UK, we also have strong investment and infrastructure behind us.

We have our corporate office in Sydney CBD and another office in Melbourne. Further expansion is planned for 2026 and beyond which means global career opportunities for you, with plenty of potential to explore new markets.

Flexibility is vital to success in our business and many of our staff work flexibly in many ways, including part-time, remotely or a mix of remote/office. Please talk to us about what flexibility means to you and don’t let anything stop you from applying. When you join our Team, you will have the opportunity to contribute and make an impact every single day.

This role is based in our Sydney office with Hybrid working arrangement.

Role Purpose

The Senior Spot Trader is a senior member of SmartestEnergy's global spot desk, a trading function operating across GB, continental European, and Australian electricity markets. The role combines active short-term trading responsibilities with a leadership mandate: establishing the regional spot trading desk in Australia, defining operational standards, and owning the optimisation strategy for SmartestEnergy's battery energy storage (BESS) portfolio in the NEM.

The role also carries responsibility for supporting the development and implementation of SmartestEnergy's global optimisation platform and representing the Australian markets.

We actively encourage applications from women and individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Key Responsibilities

Trading and Market Operations

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Lead proprietary short-term trading across GB, European, and Australian electricity markets to drive team P&L

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Execute weather window, day-ahead, and intra-day trading; manage positions and optimise costs

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Develop, test, and refine trading strategies including systematic, algorithmic, and cross-border approaches

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Interpret weather patterns and adjust strategies in response to short-term market changes

Australian Desk Establishment

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Establish the Australian spot trading desk: operational standards, workflows, and risk controls

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Build and maintain relationships with AEMO and market counterparties

BESS Optimisation

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Own the dispatch optimisation strategy for SmartestEnergy's BESS portfolio in the NEM

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Develop and implement strategies across the full revenue stack: energy arbitrage, FCAS, cap contracts, and shaped products

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Work with the analytics and risk teams to build and continuously refine the optimisation framework

Global Platform Rollout

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Support the implementation of SmartestEnergy's global optimisation platform in the Australian market

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Coordinate with global counterparts to adapt tooling, data feeds, and workflows to NEM requirements

Leadership and Collaboration

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Provide leadership and mentorship to the shift team

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Act as principal deputy to the Global Head of Optimisation

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Work collaboratively across the global spot desk, trading, and structuring functions to achieve commercial targets

Analytical and Operational

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Work with the analytics team to develop and implement data-driven trading models

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Ensure accurate ETRM recording; execute trades and coordinate with bilateral counterparties

Operational and Contractual Compliance

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Work with the analytics team to develop and implement data-driven trading models

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Ensure accurate recording of transactions in the ETRM

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Execute trades and coordinate with bilateral counterparties

Experience

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Minimum 5 years' experience in spot electricity markets with a demonstrable commercial track record

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Experience in algorithmic, systematic, or cross-border trading strategies

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Degree in a numerical field (Mathematics, Engineering, Economics, or related)

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Proficiency in Python, R, or SQL beneficial

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Experience in Australian energy markets (NEM/AEMO) strongly preferred

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Experience with BESS or storage asset optimisation highly desirable

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Experience establishing or significantly building a trading desk desirable

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Ability to handle complex numerical data and perform detailed analysis.

Knowledge

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Deep understanding of short-term electricity market mechanics across multiple jurisdictions

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Strong working knowledge of NEM structure: AEMO dispatch, 5-minute settlement, FCAS, MLFs

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Understanding of BESS economics and the NEM revenue stack (arbitrage, FCAS, cap, shaped products)

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Familiarity with ETRM systems and trading infrastructure

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High analytical capability; able to build and critique quantitative trading models

What we offer

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A genuine commitment to smarter working – we recognise your work/life balance matters

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Competitive base salary & yearly bonuses

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Leave Benefits - Paid Parental, Service, Wellbeing & Birthday leave

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Employee Assistance Program - SONDER

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Employee Health and Wellbeing Platform - WHEREFIT

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Personal development and coaching opportunities.

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EV Salary Packaging Benefit

Diversity

Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to what we do. We value everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or ethnicity.

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.

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