Senior Base Metals Trader

Role Overview

This Senior Metals Trader – Physical Base Metals role is based in London and focuses on originating, structuring, and executing physical trading transactions across copper, aluminium, zinc, lead, and nickel.

The role is responsible for building and growing a profitable physical metals trading book, expanding counterparty coverage, managing deal execution, and identifying commercial opportunities across the base metals value chain.

Key Responsibilities

Originate and execute physical base metals transactions across copper, aluminium, zinc, lead, and nickel.

Expand counterparty coverage by developing new business with producers, smelters, consumers, trading houses, and other physical market participants.

Structure transactions across the full deal lifecycle, including origination, negotiation, execution, logistics coordination, risk management, and settlement.

Contribute to the broader trading desk strategy by working closely with analytics, operations, risk, logistics, and finance teams.

Monitor market developments, physical flows, supply and demand trends, inventory movements, regional premiums, freight markets, and macro developments affecting base metals.

Position the trading book to capture market opportunities.

Qualifications and Experience

Proven track record in physical base metals trading, with experience building or growing a trading book and delivering sustained profitability.

Clear P&L accountability across physical metals trading activity.

Strong understanding of copper, aluminium, zinc, lead, nickel, or broader non-ferrous metals markets.

Comprehensive knowledge of physical trading margin drivers, including premiums, freight, financing, quality differentials, logistics, storage, and regional supply and demand dynamics.

Active and well-maintained network across mining companies, smelters, consumers, trading houses, industrial buyers, and other base metals market participants.

Strong commercial judgement, negotiation skills, and ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy.

Ideal Candidate Profile

This role is suited to candidates in London or candidates open to London-based opportunities, with experience in physical metals trading, base metals trading, non-ferrous metals trading, copper trading, aluminium trading, zinc trading, lead trading, or nickel trading.

The ideal candidate should be commercially independent, relationship-driven, and able to originate profitable physical trading opportunities while managing risk across the full transaction lifecycle.

Candidates from metals trading houses, mining companies, smelters, commodity trading firms, industrial consumers, or physical commodities businesses will be highly relevant.

Contact

Agassiz Kong

[email protected]

EA Personnel no. R22111344

EA Licence no. 18S9419