Associate General Counsel - Commodities Trading

An international commodities trading organisation is expanding its presence in Geneva and is looking for an experienced Associate General Counsel to become a key legal partner to its growing trading business. This is a high-impact role for a senior lawyer who understands the pace, complexity and commercial realities of physical crude oil trading and enjoys working directly alongside traders and senior business leaders. With Geneva set to become an increasingly important hub for the organisation, the role offers significant autonomy from day one as well as the opportunity for the scope and leadership responsibilities to grow alongside the business.

The role

Acting as the senior legal presence in Geneva, you will work closely with the trading team and wider international Legal & Compliance function.

You will:

• Provide hands-on legal support to a physical crude oil trading business, including trading, supply and related commercial matters
• Partner directly with traders and senior stakeholders, providing pragmatic and commercially focused advice
• Draft, review and negotiate trading and commercial agreements
• Advise on legal and regulatory risks arising from international commodities transactions
• Work closely with Compliance and other control functions to enable the business while appropriately managing risk
• Support the continued development of the Geneva operation as it grows into additional markets and products
• Operate with a high degree of independence while remaining closely connected to the wider global legal team
• Potentially take on broader leadership and management responsibilities as the Geneva platform develops

Your background

We are looking for an experienced commodities lawyer who combines strong technical expertise with commercial judgement and credibility with the front office.

You will ideally bring:

• 10+ years of relevant legal experience
• Strong, hands-on experience supporting crude oil trading
• A strong understanding of physical commodities trading and its contractual and commercial framework
• Common law qualification
• Significant in-house experience within a trading, energy or commodities environment
• Experience working directly with traders and senior commercial stakeholders
• Exposure to LNG, gas & power or related energy products would be an advantage, but is not essential
• The maturity and judgement to operate autonomously in a senior role

The opportunity

This is more than a traditional commodities legal role. You will join an organisation investing in its international trading capabilities at a time of significant growth and have the opportunity to help shape the legal support for an expanding Geneva operation.

The right person will be a trusted partner and enabler to the business: someone who understands when to challenge, when to find a solution and how to navigate demanding commercial situations without losing sight of the underlying risk.

For an experienced crude oil lawyer looking for autonomy, visibility and the opportunity to play a meaningful role in the growth of an international trading platform, this is a particularly compelling next step.