Junior Bitumen Trader

The Colas Group is a world leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure. Its mission is to design, promote and build infrastructure solutions for sustainable mobility. Its three main business segments are Roads, Materials and Railways.

Backed by a workforce of 57,000 people, Colas undertakes about 72,000 projects every year via a network of 800 construction units and 3,000 material production and recycling sites in some fifty countries worldwide on five continents.

Bitumen is a strategic material for the group in the production of asphalt. In 2020, as part of the Group bitumen strategy, Colas incorporated Continental Bitumen Limited in Ireland with the mission of sourcing and supplying bitumen to Colas facilities in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and more recently Latin America. In addition to bitumen procurement and supply chain management, Continental Bitumen is also responsible for developing and coordinating a downstream transportation & storage strategy and growing sales of bitumen in the countries where Colas is present, and elsewhere.

In 2025, Colas Group purchased roughly 1.5 mln tonnes of bitumen in EMEA region with just under half of the volumes for France. Globally, the group procures roughly 4.5 mln tonnes of bitumen with companies in Canada, America, Asia and Oceania.

As a member of the Continental Bitumen team, the Junior Bitumen Trader will join a structured development programme designed to build the technical, operational and commercial capabilities required for a career in bitumen trading & distribution. The role will begin with six months of hands-on training across Risk Management and Shipping Operations, followed by progressive development in bitumen trading and distribution. Working under close supervision and coaching, the Junior Trader will learn to analyse market and pricing exposures, support hedging decisions, source bitumen, manage physical flows and customer requirements, and use Aspect CTRM and Excel as core daily tools. The role reports to the COO of Continental Bitumen and offers a development pathway comparable to a graduate trading programme within a leading international commodity trading company.

Continental Bitumen Limited's main operational activity is bulk bitumen trading and distribution. The company sources bitumen from refineries and other suppliers and connect these supply sources with internal Colas entities as a priority and external customers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Its physical supply chain relies primarily on vessels, as well as trucks, trains, terminals and storage facilities.

This is an entry-level development role. The Junior Bitumen Trader is not expected to arrive with a complete trading skill set; the successful candidate will be trained, coached and given progressively greater responsibility as competence and judgement develop.

Development pathway

• Months 1-6 - Risk Management and Shipping Operations: complete structured rotations to understand physical flows, vessel and terminal operations, contracts, logistics constraints, pricing mechanisms, market exposure, position reporting, controls and the fundamentals of hedging.
• Trading and Distribution Development: move into the trading team and progressively learn bitumen market analysis, supply-and-demand fundamentals, product specifications, sourcing, pricing, customer development, distribution economics and trade execution.
• Systems and Analytics: become a proficient daily user of Aspect CTRM for deal capture, position and exposure monitoring, operational follow-up and P&L analysis, while using Excel extensively for modelling, reconciliations, reporting and commercial analysis.

TRADING & COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES

• Support the execution of the bitumen trading strategy and contribute to achieving trading P&L objectives.
• Assist in sourcing bitumen and evaluating term and spot market opportunities.
• Prepare commercial offers and support the negotiation of contracts with suppliers and customers.
• Contribute to the development of third-party sales and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

MARKET ANALYSIS & RISK MANAGEMENT

• Monitor bitumen, crude oil, fuel oil and freight markets to identify trends and trading opportunities.
• Support the Risk Manager and Business Analyst in monitoring exposures and implementing hedging strategies.
• Prepare market analyses, pricing reports and trading recommendations.

OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN COORDINATION

• Coordinate with Shipping Operations to support cargo planning, terminal replenishment and customer deliveries.
• Monitor logistics, inventory and scheduling to ensure efficient execution of trading activities.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure operational continuity.

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

• Ensure accurate trade capture and maintenance of transactions in the Aspect CTRM system.
• Verify contracts, pricing and logistics data, ensuring compliance with company procedures.
• Liaise with Legal to ensure contracts are properly executed when required.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE & REPORTING

• Develop Excel analyses covering prices, margins, inventory, profitability and trading performance.
• Support Finance in monitoring trading profitability and preparing performance reports.

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

• Work closely with Operations, Risk, Finance and Legal to support efficient trading activities.
• Develop technical, commercial and market expertise to progressively manage trading activities with greater autonomy.
• Contribute to continuous improvement and optimization of trading processes.

• Graduate or early-career profile with 0 to 3 years of professional experience; prior bitumen or commodity trading experience is not required.
• Master's degree or equivalent in business, finance, economics, engineering, supply chain, maritime studies or another relevant quantitative discipline.
• Strong academic grounding in numerical analysis, economics, finance, logistics or commercial decision-making.
• Advanced potential in Microsoft Excel and a clear willingness to develop high-level modelling, data analysis and reporting skills.
• Interest in physical commodity trading, energy markets, shipping, risk management and international business.
• Fluent professional English is required; French and/or another language relevant to CBL's international markets would be an advantage.
• Willingness to travel internationally and work across cultures, time zones and fast-moving operational situations.