Senior Natural Gas Trader – Gulf Coast

Marathon Petroleum Corporation•Houston, TX

7d•Onsite

About The Position

An exciting career awaits you At MPC, we’re committed to being a great place to work – one that welcomes new ideas, encourages diverse perspectives, develops our people, and fosters a collaborative team environment. Position Summary The Senior Natural Gas Trader – Gulf Coast is a commercially driven, risk-taking trader responsible for building and managing MPC’s physical and financial natural gas book across Gulf Coast markets. This role is designed for a high-conviction trader who thrives in fast-moving markets, takes calculated risks within defined mandates, and generates P&L through active position management in physical Gulf Coast basis, prompt spreads, and financial derivatives. The trader will initially operate within a shared book under the Head of Natural Gas Trading, rapidly building toward an independent trading mandate as performance and market expertise are demonstrated. The role works in close partnership with originators, fundamental analysts, and quantitative analysts to develop and execute commercial strategies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree required (Finance, Economics, Engineering, or related discipline preferred).
Five (5) or more years of experience in natural gas trading, marketing, or commercial development, with direct exposure to Gulf Coast physical and/or financial markets.
Demonstrated P&L ownership or accountability in a commodity trading environment.
Strong understanding of Gulf Coast basis markets, pipeline and storage dynamics, and natural gas pricing mechanisms.
Experience trading or structuring financial natural gas instruments (swaps, basis swaps, options).
Direct trading desk experience at a natural gas trading company, marketing company, producer, utility, or energy trading firm with Gulf Coast focus
Familiarity with storage and transport optimization, including seasonal spread trading and pipeline capacity economics
Experience working alongside fundamental analysts and quantitative tools to inform trading decisions
Exposure to LNG feedgas demand, Permian-to-Gulf Coast flows, or HSC/Katy basis trading
Accountability
Commercial Awareness
Communication
Contract Management
Customer-Focused
Data Analysis
Decision Making
Entrepreneurship
Mentoring
People
Marketing Strategies
Negotiation
Risk Management
Strategic Planning

Nice To Haves

Lead Trader Bachelor’s Degree required (Finance, Economics, Engineering, or related discipline preferred).
Seven (7) or more years of experience in natural gas trading, marketing, or commercial development, with direct exposure to Gulf Coast physical and/or financial markets.

Responsibilities

Actively manage physical and financial natural gas positions across Gulf Coast hubs, including Houston Ship Channel (HSC), Katy, Waha, and Henry Hub
Generate P&L through opportunistic basis trading, prompt spread monetization, storage plays, and financial hedging strategies
Build and exercise strong commercial judgment – identifying market dislocations, sizing positions with conviction, and managing risk dynamically within VaR/position limits and other allocated LOAs
Develop toward full book ownership with an independent trading mandate, taking increasing P&L accountability as expertise and track record are established
Partner with originators, fundamental analysts, and quantitative analysts to integrate market intelligence and model-driven signals into daily trading decisions
Trade physical natural gas across Gulf Coast hubs – HSC, Katy, Carthage, and interconnected pipelines – capturing basis differentials and supply-demand dislocations in day-ahead and prompt markets
Actively trade financial natural gas instruments – fixed-for-float swaps, basis swaps, options, and structured products – to express market views and manage book risk
Execute transactions with producers, utilities, marketers, pipelines, and LNG counterparties, building a deep network of Gulf Coast commercial relationships
Manage an integrated physical and financial book, monitoring net exposure, basis risk, and directional positions across prompt and forward tenors
Operate within defined risk limits (VaR, stop-loss, position limits), escalating risk events appropriately while maintaining a proactive, risk-forward trading mindset
Conduct daily MTM reconciliation, position reporting, and P&L attribution in coordination with Middle Office and Back Office teams
Synthesize fundamental analysis – storage trajectories, domestic NG supply/demand, LNG export demand, pipeline flows, weather – and quantitative signals to generate high-conviction trade ideas
Evaluate and monetize pipeline transport and storage optionality, including Permian-to-Gulf Coast basis opportunities and seasonal storage spreads
Collaborate with the Natural Gas Originator to align physical supply & offtake positions with origination strategy and asset optionality
Partner with scheduling, Middle Office, and Back Office teams to ensure accurate nomination, settlement, and compliance with trading policies