The Operations Manager
'The Operations Manager is the one you can rely on during shifts. It’s my job to make sure the trading never stops. No matter what happens.’
After finishing his MSc in Sustainable Energy Technology (SET) in Delft, Saumitra started his career as Junior Operations Manager at Northpool in the summer of 2021. As Operations Manager, he has contact with all departments. "I function as trade support for the trader, but if something is not working properly, I start talking to the Data Engineers or Analyst who build the tool, communicating back to the Trader why something is not working. If there is an external problem, I pick up the phone and start calling people".
The Operations Manager vs the Energy Analyst
"The Operations Manager is the one you can rely on during shifts. It’s my job to make sure that the trading never stops. No matter what happens. This means being able to go through multiple scenarios to make sure that the Trader doesn’t stop trading, but also managing failing emergencies and prioritizing them. The Analyst makes the models, the Operations Manager tests them on the floor and gives feedback to the Analysts about what is working the right way, and if or how the model should be improved. Off the shifts, the Operations Manager makes sure every tool used is operating as it should and every incident that occurs is being communicated properly to the entire trading team. For the Analyst, it is more about working on different models and making sure the data make sense. For the Operations manager, it is about fixing, evaluating and constant thinking how to improve. There has to be a strategy for every problem. We’re constantly improving the tools we are working with.
Either the Energy Analyst or the Operations Manager is working on the shift as a trade support, even though it is a different job. For an Analyst, it is also necessary to be on the shifts sometimes because then he/ she knows how to make a model that is directly usable on the shift. For the Trader there is no difference. But, if the Analyst builds a model, he/ she might be able to give more information about that particular model during the shift."
Different strategy for each situation
As a Junior Energy Trader, you start working in a simulation environment; you can play around without affecting the situation and results on the actual trading floor. For the Operations Manager, this is different. It is learning by doing, directly on the trading floor. It is important to get independent quickly, because then the trader support can be provided. "This can be stressful in the beginning, but the longer you work for Northpool and the more you understand the trading better, the more confidence you get in yourself. Every situation has a different strategy. I communicate with the trader, sometimes also our IT department and external parties at the same time, given priority to the trader of course. The last strategy: just do the best you can to fix the problem."