Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – Commodity Trading - Base in Singapore

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Financial Leadership & Growth

Formulate and execute financial strategies aligned with short- and long-term commodity trading expansion goals.
Partner with the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Heads of Trading desks to structure complex commodity transactions, trade structuring, and off-take agreements.
Oversee M&A opportunities, joint ventures, and strategic investments within the regional supply chain and logistics ecosystem.
Direct capital allocation strategies to optimize working capital efficiency and liquidity across various commodity desks.

2. Trade Finance & Treasury Operations

Build, maintain, and expand relationships with international banks, trade finance institutions, and non-bank financial lenders.
Oversee multi-currency treasury operations, liquidity forecasting, cash flow management, and foreign exchange (FX) hedging strategies.
Negotiate and secure structured trade finance facilities, including Letters of Credit (LCs), Borrowing Base Facilities, Invoice Discounting, Revolving Credit Facilities (RCFs), and Repo structures.
Direct working capital management to optimize cash conversion cycles and collateral requirements.

3. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) & Trading Governance

Establish, enhance, and monitor comprehensive Financial Risk Management policies tailored to commodity trading (Market Risk, Credit Risk, Counterparty Risk, Liquidity Risk, and Operational Risk).
Oversee Value at Risk (VaR) limits, mark-to-market (MTM) evaluations, counterparty credit exposure, and price risk hedging strategies in collaboration with Risk Officers.
Ensure strict risk governance surrounding trade executions, derivative products, and hedging instruments (futures, options, swaps).

4. Financial Accounting, Controlling & Reporting

Ensure total compliance with Singapore Financial Reporting Standards (SFRS / IFRS), local tax laws, and international transfer pricing regulations.
Lead month-end, quarter-end, and year-end financial closing processes, preparing high-integrity consolidated financial statements.
Implement robust commodity mark-to-market (MTM) accounting and revenue recognition standards specific to physical and paper trading setups.
Direct management reporting, FP&A, budgeting, and performance tracking across trading desks, regions, and legal entities.

5. Tax, Governance & Regulatory Compliance

Design and execute international tax planning, transfer pricing frameworks, and cross-border structuring for global commodity flows.
Leverage local tax incentive programs (e.g., Enterprise Singapore's Global Trader Programme - GTP) and maintain full compliance with regulatory authorities (MAS, IRAS, ACRA).
Oversee corporate governance, legal compliance, internal controls, and anti-money laundering (AML/CFT) frameworks within financial operations.

6. Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management

Lead, mentor, and scale high-performing Finance, Accounting, Treasury, and Risk teams in Singapore and regional subsidiaries.
Primary executive interface for external auditors, legal counsel, credit rating agencies, tax consultants, and financial institutions.

Requirements & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related fields. CPA, CA, CFA, or MBA qualification is highly preferred.
Experience:
Minimum 12–15+ years of progressive financial leadership experience, with at least 5+ years in a CFO, Finance Director, or Head of Finance role within the commodity trading industry (Petrochemicals, Energy, Metals, or Agribusiness).
Extensive track record in Singapore's financial ecosystem with proven success securing large-scale bilateral and syndicated trade finance facilities.
Technical Expertise:
Deep expertise in Trade Finance instruments (LCs, SBLCs, Bank Guarantees, Structured Trade & Commodity Finance).
Thorough understanding of Commodity Derivatives, Hedging, MTM Accounting, and Risk Management Frameworks (VaR, Credit Limits).
Expert knowledge of SFRS/IFRS, Singapore tax laws, Transfer Pricing, and global shipping/incoterms.
Systems: Hands-on familiarity with CTRM/ETRM systems (e.g., Brady, RightAngle, OpenLink, or custom CTRMs) integrated with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics).
Soft Skills: Exceptional leadership, strategic negotiating skills, commercial acumen, high integrity, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume commodity trading environment.
Languages: Business fluency in English is required; command of Vietnamese or Mandarin is a strong plus for stakeholder alignment across regional offices.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Commodity Trading (Base Singapore)