Desk Lead, Crude Trading & Quality
Date: Mar 10, 2026
Location: Calgary, AB, CA
Company: Inter Pipeline Ltd.
At Inter Pipeline, we are building a team of innovators and problem solvers with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. We cultivate opportunities to get to know each other better and collaborate more effectively. In every part of our organization, you will find people with a sense of purpose and a shared ethos - motivated, engaged, exploring new ideas and pushing for continuous improvements in everything we do. We believe teamwork is core to our success, and in that spirit you will work closely with leaders and team members. This is a great opportunity to amplify your purpose and contribute to meaningful, challenging work at the forefront of the energy sector.
Bring your passion, your ideas, and let's do this.
Description
The Desk Lead, Crude Trading & Quality is responsible for leading commercial strategy and execution for the Western Canadian crude portfolio. Based in Calgary, this role focuses on generating value across key Canadian and U.S. markets through physical and financial trading, optimization of pipeline and storage assets, and the development of strong producer, midstream, and refinery relationships. The Desk Lead, Crude Trading & Quality provides leadership to the crude trading team and works closely with scheduling, marketing, risk, and operations to ensure disciplined risk management and commercial excellence.
Key Activities and Responsibilities
Trading & Commercial Execution
• Execute physical and financial trades across Western Canadian crude streams (e.g., WCS, MSW, synthetic grades, condensate) and key market hubs (Hardisty, Edmonton, Patoka, Cushing, U.S. Gulf Coast, West Coast).
• Optimize value across pipeline, storage, rail, and blending optionality unique to the WCSB, including apportionment dynamics, quality spreads, and operational constraints.
• Manage and grow trading books that leverage Western Canadian fundamentals, export paths, and regional supply/demand flows.
• Identify arbitrage opportunities between Canadian hubs and downstream markets via Enbridge Mainline, Keystone, Trans Mountain, Flanagan South, and other key corridors.
• Work closely with schedulers to maximize asset utilization, ensure efficient linefills, manage apportionment, and capture operational trading upside.
Market Intelligence & Strategy
• Maintain expert-level understanding of Western Canadian crude supply fundamentals, refinery demand trends, diluent dynamics, pipeline utilization, provincial policy impacts, and storage structures.
• Monitor pricing structures such as WCS/Houston, WCS/WTI, MSW/WTI, synthetic spreads, and condensate differentials; develop strategies to monetize volatility and structural shifts.
• Build and maintain relationships with Canadian producers, midstream companies, refineries, rail operators, and brokers to enhance market position.
• Provide strategic market insights to senior leadership including seasonal outlooks, pipeline egress changes, maintenance impacts, and evolving regulatory or carbon policy factors affecting WCSB crude flows.
Team Leadership & Collaboration
• Lead, mentor, and coach traders, analysts, and schedulers within the crude trading team to drive performance and skill development.
• Promote a culture of commercial discipline, integrity, and proactive risk management.
• Collaborate with supply, marketing, logistics, legal, finance, and corporate strategy to support integrated commercial initiatives.
• Represent the trading function in internal governance processes, risk committees, and strategic business planning.
Risk Management & Controls
• Operate trading activities within approved market, credit, and operational risk limits, ensuring full adherence to corporate policies.
• Ensure transparency of mark to market valuations, exposures, and P&L drivers related to quality, location spreads, inventory positions, and pipeline commitments.
• Work with risk control teams to validate pricing curves, forward structures, and physical position reporting.
• Identify and implement hedging strategies to mitigate exposure to Western Canadian or downstream market volatility.
Education, Skills and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or related field.
- 8–12+ years of crude trading or related commercial experience, with a strong preference for Western Canadian markets.
- Deep understanding of WCSB supply, crude quality classifications, diluent markets, pipeline nomination processes, apportionment mechanics, and Canadian regulatory frameworks.
- Proven track record of profitable physical/financial crude trading and disciplined risk management.
- Strong leadership experience in high-performance trading environments.
- Experience with Enbridge, TC Energy, TMX, crude-by-rail operations, or refinery crude supply is an asset
- Familiarity with U.S. downstream markets including PADD II, PADD III, and West Coast refineries is an asset
- Advanced analytical capabilities, including optionality modeling or exposure to quantitative trading tools is an asset
Hours
Monday - Friday, 8 hours per day
Inter Pipeline recognizes the importance of properly rewarding our employees by offering attractive employee benefits. Please visit our “working with us” page to learn about the compensation and benefits offerings Working Here | Inter Pipeline
Employment of a final candidate will be conditional upon completion of pre-employment credential verification and criminal background check assessment with satisfactory results.
While diversity is a fact, inclusion is the act of recognizing the value of our differences and leveraging them for the betterment of our organization. At Inter Pipeline, we are dedicated to building an inclusive and equitable workplace that values, represents, and supports the communities in which we work. We are committed to maintaining a respectful workplace and we are building a culture that supports the diverse needs of our employees. We welcome applications from all individuals including those who are Indigenous, racialized, of varied abilities and ethnicities, members of gender and sexually diverse communities, as well as with any other dimension of diversity.
