What does an energy trader do?
Energy trader responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real energy trader resumes:
- Manage business, sales, marketing, international negotiation and communication for a commodities business.
- Automate the trade allocation and reconciliation procedures using VBA programming which is leveraged to systematically detect any trade breaks or discrepancies.
- Integrate into an existing trading pit on the CBOE, illustrating success in new, challenging work environments.
Energy trader skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Energy Traders are proficient in Algorithmic Trading, Renewable Energy, and Financial Instruments. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Energy Traders that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Algorithmic Trading, 14%
Collaborate with developers to create custom trading tools and automated algorithmic trading strategies.
- Renewable Energy, 12%
Established a Renewable Energy Credit tracking system and facilitated REC trades and transfers in GIS.
- Financial Instruments, 11%
Implement profitable discretionary trading strategies across a variety of markets and financial instruments.
- NERC, 8%
Created MISO and PJM desk protocols and procedures in accordance with Independent System Operational guidelines and NERC standards.
- ISO, 6%
Coordinate with risk manager and other trading desks on availability of trading credit with ISO markets.
- Risk Management System, 6%
Developed a proprietary risk management system; utilized for all trading operations.
Most energy traders use their skills in "algorithmic trading," "renewable energy," and "financial instruments" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential energy trader responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an energy trader to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what energy traders do because "to judge the profitability of potential deals, securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents must have strong analytical skills." Additionally, an energy trader resume shows how energy traders use analytical skills: "evaluated opportunities and risk exposure in the energy futures markets utilizing both fundamental and technical analysis. "
Customer-service skills. Many energy trader duties rely on customer-service skills. "securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents must be persuasive and make clients feel comfortable with the agent’s recommendations.," so an energy trader will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways energy trader responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "traded high volumes of equities, and created fiercely loyal relationships by providing in-person and unparalleled customer service. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of energy traders is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday energy trader duties, as "investment bankers must pay close attention to the details of initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions because small changes can have large consequences." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "performed detailed analysis, market/economic indicator research and evaluation on technical numbers and historical data. "
Initiative. A big part of what energy traders do relies on "initiative." You can see how essential it is to energy trader responsibilities because "securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents must create their own client base by making “cold” sales calls to people to whom they have not been referred and to people not expecting the call." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical energy trader tasks: "conducted daily strategic initiatives in consideration of prevalent market conditions, risk exposure and anticipated outcome profitability. "
Math skills. A commonly-found skill in energy trader job descriptions, "math skills" is essential to what energy traders do. Energy trader responsibilities rely on this skill because "securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents need to be familiar with mathematical tools, including investment formulas." You can also see how energy trader duties rely on math skills in this resume example: "develop equity and derivatives trading strategies using quantitative, fundamental, and technical analysis to exploit market inefficiencies. "
The three companies that hire the most energy traders are:
- Kinder Morgan2 energy traders jobs
- SEC, Inc.2 energy traders jobs
- NRG Energy1 energy traders jobs
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Compare different energy traders
Energy trader vs. Finance representative
A finance representative, also known as a financial advisor, provides sound financial proposals to clients. Primarily, financial advisors guide and plan the financial decisions of clients based on their needs, goals, and requirements. They recommend financial products and services to manage clients' portfolios. Their other duties include analyzing current accounts, interpreting data, and developing strategies to improve and manage their assets and portfolios. Also, they monitor market trends to identify potential leads. Finance representatives should have an analytical mind to analyze, assess, and make decisions based on the data they are given.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between energy traders and finance representative. For instance, energy trader responsibilities require skills such as "algorithmic trading," "renewable energy," "financial instruments," and "nerc." Whereas a finance representative is skilled in "financial services," "customer service," "life insurance," and "mutual funds." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Finance representatives earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $45,004. On the other hand, energy traders are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $130,618.On average, finance representatives reach lower levels of education than energy traders. Finance representatives are 11.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Energy trader vs. Senior power scheduler
A natural gas trader facilitates the buying and selling of natural gas, ensuring a safe and steady flow of supply to customers. Although the extent of their responsibilities varies upon their company of employment, it typically includes overseeing stock and market exchanges, meeting the clients to identify their short and long-term goals, monitoring natural gas prices, and conducting regular assessments to determine the losses and profits. Moreover, as a natural gas trader, it is essential to be proactive at making decisions and dealing with issues due to the nature of the industry.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, energy trader responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "algorithmic trading," "renewable energy," "financial instruments," and "risk management system." Meanwhile, a senior power scheduler has duties that require skills in areas such as "outage," "critical path," "scheduling software-primavera," and "scheduling issues." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Senior power schedulers tend to reach lower levels of education than energy traders. In fact, they're 12.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Energy trader vs. Electricity trading analyst
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an energy trader is likely to be skilled in "algorithmic trading," "renewable energy," "financial instruments," and "nerc," while a typical electricity trading analyst is skilled in "electrical systems," "cdl," "circuit boards," and "control systems."
Most electricity trading analysts achieve a lower degree level compared to energy traders. For example, they're 15.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Energy trader vs. Natural gas trader
Even though a few skill sets overlap between energy traders and natural gas traders, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an energy trader might have more use for skills like "algorithmic trading," "renewable energy," "financial instruments," and "nerc." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of natural gas traders require skills like "risk management," "storage assets," "financial products," and "pipeline capacity. "
Natural gas traders reach similar levels of education compared to energy traders, in general. The difference is that they're 3.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of energy trader
Updated January 8, 2025
