Chief Trading and Risk Officer

Industry: Electricity, Energy & Water Supply

Job category: Directors and Chief Executives

Location: Cape Town

Contract: Permanent

Remuneration: Market Related

EE position: No

Reunert is seeking an exceptional Chief Trading & Risk Officer (CTRO) to join the executive leadership team of its subsidiary, Apollo Africa, at a pivotal stage of growth and transformation. The CTRO leads Apollo's trading and risk function as a member of the Apollo executive. The role is accountable for building Apollo into a fully operational electricity trader — creating and maturing the trading platform and controls, securing the regulatory licences and market authorisations Apollo requires, ope rationalising signed power purchase agreements into the trading desk, and establishing the risk framework that protects Apollo as transaction volumes grow.

It removes the single point of failure currently sitting in the Trading and Risk Manager and provides the executive authority needed to lead a control-critical function as Apollo moves from pre-operational to live trading.

Trading operations and platform

• Design, procure and implement the ETRM and supporting systems; ensure straight-through processing from origination to settlement and integration with finance and reporting.
• Operationalise signed GPPAs and CPPAs into the desk — nominations, scheduling, settlements, invoicing, reconciliations, dispute management — and lead day-to-day trading execution.
• Build pricing, dispatch and portfolio optimisation models for bilateral, day-ahead and (in due course) SAWEM activity.

Market access, regulatory engagement and operationalisation

• Own Apollo's regulatory licensing and market authorisations — applications, conditions, compliance and ongoing engagement with NERSA.
• Drive market-access readiness as South Africa's trading framework develops — certification, market code compliance, nominations and settlement.
• Lead operational engagement with Eskom, NTCSA, municipal distributors and the market operator; secure and maintain wheeling, use-of-system, network access and metering arrangements.
• Represent Apollo in SAETA and industry forums on trading rules and market design, coordinating with Legal Counsel on formal regulatory matters.

Risk management, hedging and treasury

• Own Apollo's market, credit and counter party risk framework — risk appetite, position and exposure limits, stress and scenario testing, KYC and credit assessment together with in-house Legal.
• Provide regular reporting on market, credit, liquidity and operational risk to the CEO, the Apollo Board and Reunert Group risk and audit.

Trading desk build and team leadership

• Lead and grow the trading and risk team, including developing the Trading and Risk Manager into the next layer of trading leadership.
• Establish desk culture, code of conduct, dealing mandates and continuous-improvement disciplines befitting a regulated trader.

Executive contribution and governance

• Serve on the Apollo Executive Committee; contribute to strategy, budget and major commercial decisions, and challenge the trading and risk implications of those decisions.
• Act as the primary trading and risk interface with the Apollo Board and the Reunert Group (Renewable Energy Cluster, Group Risk, Group Treasury, Group Internal Audit and external auditors).
• Identify and assess medium-term market opportunities as the industry develops, and build the analytical basis for entering them.

South African competitive electricity trading is a young industry, and the experience bar below reflects the depth of expertise currently available in this market rather than the bar that would apply in a mature trading jurisdiction. The successful candidate is expected to bring most of the following:

• Undergraduate degree in Engineering,…