Cotton Trader – India

Role Overview

We have an exciting opportunity to join ED\&F Man Commodities’ growing cotton trading business as a Cotton Trader – India. The role offers the opportunity to manage and develop a physical cotton trading book within one of the world’s largest cotton-producing and consuming markets, drive commercial growth and build strong relationships across the Indian cotton supply chain. The successful candidate will contribute to the continued expansion of ED\&F Man’s cotton business in India through strong market knowledge, commercial acumen, effective risk management and an established industry network.

Position Title

Cotton Trader

Location

Mumbai, India

Position Type

Full-time

Schedule

Hybrid

Business Overview

ED\&F Man Cottondriven by an ambition to become a leading trader of raw cotton, serving customers around the world. The breadth of ED\&F Man Commodities existing operations provides ED\&F Man Cotton with offices in major cotton producing regions and expertise in operating sustainable containerised supply chains, underpinned by robust risk management procedures.

ED\&F Man is owned by Hartree Partners, LP a leading global merchant commodities firm facilitating the flow of energy, metals, agriculture, and environmental products across the full commodity supply chain, connecting producers and consumers. Hartree was founded in 1997, is jointly owned by senior management and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, LP, and employs around 5,000 individuals worldwide.

Key Accountabilities

• Manage and grow a physical cotton trading book in the Indian domestic market, with accountability for trading margins, volumes, profitability and trade execution performance.
• Execute domestic cotton trading strategies in line with business objectives and guidance from trading leadership.
• Identify, develop and execute purchase opportunities from cotton ginners, aggregators and other domestic suppliers across key cotton-producing regions in India.
• Develop and maintain strong commercial relationships with domestic spinning mills, textile manufacturers, cotton ginners, traders and other participants across the Indian cotton value chain.
• Demonstrate strong commercial acumen in negotiating and executing domestic purchase and sales contracts, working within agreed trading parameters and risk limits.
• Develop a detailed understanding of Indian cotton market fundamentals, including crop estimates, arrivals, production, consumption, quality differentials, regional price movements and domestic supply and demand dynamics.
• Monitor and analyse domestic cotton pricing, including relevant APMC market prices, ginning margins, local basis movements and prevailing market benchmarks, to identify and capitalise on trading opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to optimise procurement, sales and trading margins through effective management of regional price differentials, quality spreads, logistics costs and timing of purchases and sales.
• Support client retention and business growth through regular engagement, high-quality service, reliable execution and commercially relevant offerings.
• Identify, develop and secure new trading opportunities with both existing and prospective customers, expanding the business’s domestic origination and sales network.
• Work closely with operations, finance, logistics and risk teams to ensure efficient execution of physical trades, timely deliveries, accurate documentation and effective management of receivables and counterparty exposure.
• Manage and monitor physical trading positions, ensuring alignment with logistics capabilities, working capital requirements, financial objectives and established risk parameters.
• Maintain a strong understanding of domestic cotton quality specifications, including staple length, micronaire, strength, colour and other relevant parameters, to ensure appropriate procurement and sales decisions.
• Monitor relevant government policies, MSP announcements, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) procurement activity, import/export policies and other regulatory developments that may influence domestic cotton market dynamics.
• Work closely with IT and trading leadership to identify opportunities to automate time-consuming and repetitive trading processes, improve market intelligence and enhance trading efficiency.
• Monitor and report on domestic market developments, industry trends, pricing movements, competitor activity and emerging commercial opportunities to support informed trading decisions.
• Develop and maintain a strong external network across the Indian cotton industry to strengthen market intelligence, sourcing capabilities and customer relationships.
• Represent the business at relevant industry events, conferences, market meetings and customer engagements to strengthen ED\&F Man’s presence in the Indian cotton market.

Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of physical commodity trading experience is highly preferred, specific experience in soft/agricultural commodities would be highly preferred.
• Established relationships and a demonstrable network across the Indian cotton value chain, particularly with ginners, cotton traders, spinning mills and textile manufacturers.
• Strong understanding of Indian cotton market dynamics, including regional production, crop arrivals, quality differentials, pricing mechanisms, procurement patterns and domestic consumption.
• Proven track record of managing and growing a physical trading book, with demonstrable responsibility for trading volumes, margins and profitability.
• Experience negotiating and executing physical cotton purchase and sales contracts within the domestic Indian market.
• Strong commercial acumen, sound judgement and a clear understanding of physical commodity trading and risk management principles.
• Good understanding of domestic cotton logistics, quality assessment, warehousing, financing and working capital cons