Global Head of Oil Market Research

Job Purpose

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) operates the world’s largest energy trading platform, including the leading global benchmarks for crude oil, refined products, and freight. ICE’s oil futures and options complex – anchored by ICE Brent, ICE Midland WTI, ICE Murban (IFAD), and ICE Gasoil – underpins price discovery and risk management for the physical and financial oil markets worldwide. The Oil Market Research function sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, market intelligence, and external engagement, providing thought leadership that supports ICE’s relationships with producers, traders, refiners, financial institutions, and policymakers across every major oil-consuming and oil-producing region.

The Global Head of Oil Market Research is a senior, externally visible position responsible for producing original market analysis, representing ICE at major industry conferences, and advising internal stakeholders – including the C-suite, Investor Relations, Regulatory Engagement, and the Exchange Board – on fundamental market developments across crude and refined-product markets. The role holder will serve as ICE’s foremost oil market expert, combining deep fundamental knowledge with the commercial awareness needed to support benchmark development, client engagement, and policy discussions at the highest levels.

Responsibilities

• Market Intelligence & Research
  • Produce regular written reports and briefings on global oil markets, including a bimonthly Exchange Board Market Report, monthly commentaries for Investor Relations, Regulatory Engagement, and the ICE Clear Europe risk team
  • Maintain a continuous reading and monitoring programme across pricing agencies (S&P Global/Platts, Argus), trade press (Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, Petroleum Economist), government data (EIA, IEA), and broker research
  • Develop and maintain a library of reusable Excel-based models, charts, and data sets covering prices, benchmarks, spreads, and trading activity for use by the broader oil team
  • Deliver ad-hoc research projects for senior leadership on topics such as sanctions, benchmark competitiveness, tariff impacts, and policy proposals – often on short turnarounds of one to three days
• External Representation & Thought Leadership
  • Represent ICE as a keynote speaker, panellist, or presenter at major international conferences including OPEC, S&P Global MPGC and GEPEC, Argus Americas Crude and Global Crude, FIA Commodities, KAPSARC, COQA, and ICE-hosted or co-hosted events (DMCC, Energy Intelligence, Energy Aspects, JP Morgan, Citi, and others)
  • Author papers and opinion pieces for external publication in outlets such as Oil & Gas Journal, Petroleum Economist, the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and the IEA monthly report
  • Produce oil-market content – presentations, videos, website articles – in partnership with ICE’s marketing team for use at conference booths, webinars, and client meetings
  • Support media engagement by providing market views, data, and quotable commentary to leading outlets including Bloomberg, MEES, PIW, and specialist consultancies
• Internal Advisory & Commercial Support
  • Advise senior management and the C-suite on oil market developments, preparing tailored briefing materials for investor calls, regulatory meetings, White House and government policy discussions, and board presentations
  • Partner with the oil sales and business development teams to support key client and prospect relationships, including major producers (e.g. Saudi Aramco), financial institutions, and Asian market participants
  • Contribute to benchmark development and strategy – for example, providing analytical support on the inclusion of Midland WTI into the Brent complex, evaluation of new index proposals, and the ICE HOU benchmark
  • Coordinate with consultants and external advisors on special projects such as sanctions-related analysis and regulatory-impact assessments
• Team Leadership
  • Lead and develop the oil market research team, including weekly coordination calls with research analysts and regular one-to-one meetings
  • Manage team-related personnel activities including hiring, performance management, and professional development
  • Build and maintain an organized archive of research outputs – presentations, papers, and data – so the team and wider organization can readily locate and reuse key materials

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, energy studies, engineering, or a related discipline; an advanced degree (MBA, MA, PhD) is strongly preferred
• 15+ years’ experience in oil markets, with a track record spanning fundamental analysis, trading, price reporting, or policy – ideally across more than one of these areas
• Recognized industry expertise: the successful candidate will be known and respected by participants across the physical and financial oil market ecosystem – producers, traders, refiners, brokers, pricing agencies, and policymakers
• Proven ability to produce publication-quality written research – market reports, policy papers, op-eds – under time pressure and to a senior executive audience
• Extensive conference and public-speaking experience at industry-leading events (e.g. OPEC, S&P Global Platts, Argus, FIA, KAPSARC, or equivalent)
• Strong existing network of industry contacts across producers, NOCs, trading houses, financial institutions, pricing agencies, government bodies, and multilateral organizations (IEA, OPEC, etc.)
• Deep understanding of global crude and refined-product benchmarks, including the Brent complex, WTI/Midland WTI, Murban, ICE Gasoil, and Asian pricing mechanisms
• Fluency with key data platforms: S&P Global/Platts, Argus, Bloomberg, Reuters, EIA, and IEA publications
• Advanced proficiency in Excel for building and maintaining market models, charts, and data analysis

Desirable Knowledge and Experience

• Prior experience at a major exchange, pricing agency (Platts, Argus), trading house, investment bank commodity desk, IOC/NOC, or international energy body (IEA, OPEC, EIA)
• Direct involvement in benchmark design, consultation, or governance processes
• Experience working with government or regulatory stakeholders on energy policy, sanctions, or market-structure issues
• Familiarity with freight and shipping markets as they relate to crude and product flows
• Experience with biofuels, RINs, UCO, or energy-transition commodity markets
• Track record of managing or mentoring a small specialist research team

Personal Attributes

• Exceptional communicator – equally effective writing a two-page briefing for the White House, presenting to 500 people at a global conference, or conducting a detailed call with a risk team
• Intellectually curious and commercially minded: able to connect macroeconomic and geopolitical developments to specific benchmark and trading implications
• Highly self-directed, able to manage a varied and unpredictable workload that includes reactive short-turnaround projects alongside structured recurring deliverables
• Comfortable operating at senior executive level internally and with external counterparts including C-suite, government officials, and heads of major trading firms
• Willingness to travel internationally on a regular basis, including to the Middle East, Asia, and North America

Travel Requirements

This role requires significant international travel – typically 8–12 conferences and events per year across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas, plus additional client visits and internal meetings. Travel periods may be concentrated around major industry event seasons (Q1 and Q4).