Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Jet Fuel Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

The Jet Fuel Analyst is a specialist responsible for monitoring, analyzing and forecasting aviation fuel markets (Jet A-1, JP-8 and related kerosene streams), supporting commercial trading, procurement, hedging and supply chain optimization for airlines, FBOs, fuel distributors, or refinery trading desks. This role synthesizes market intelligence (Platts, Argus, Bloomberg, IHS Markit), inventory and blending data, regulatory constraints (ASTM specifications, local environmental/tax regimes), and commercial contracts to produce actionable price forecasts, margin analysis, supplier recommendations, and risk-management strategies. Strong quantitative modeling, Excel/Python/SQL skills, familiarity with fuel logistics, and clear stakeholder communication are essential.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Commodity/energy analyst roles (oil products, refined products)
Airline fuel operations, procurement or dispatch roles
Trading desk assistant, commercial analyst, or supply planner

Advancement To:

Senior Jet Fuel Analyst / Lead Fuel Analyst
Fuel Trading Manager / Commodity Trader (aviation fuels)
Head of Fuel Procurement or Fuel Risk Manager
Commercial Director – Fuels / Supply Chain Director (Aviation)

Lateral Moves:

Refined Products Market Analyst (diesel, gasoline)
Petroleum Logistics Planner / Terminal Manager
Fuel Tax & Regulatory Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct daily and weekly market surveillance of aviation kerosene markets (Jet A-1, JP-8), synthesizing price reports from Platts, Argus, S&P Global, Bloomberg, and local exchanges to produce timely market briefs and trading signals for commercial and trading teams.
Build and maintain forward price curves, time-series models and scenario analyses for jet fuel using Excel, VBA, Python or R, incorporating crack spreads, crude differentials, storage, freight, and refinery yields to forecast landed fuel prices at airports and terminals.
Produce accurate, data-driven short-term (daily/weekly/monthly) and medium-term (quarterly/annual) volume and price forecasts to support airline fuel budgeting, hedge program design, and working-capital planning.
Support the fuel procurement and trading teams by evaluating and structuring physical and financial jet fuel purchase contracts, swaps, options and fixed-price agreements; quantify P&L impacts under different market scenarios.
Monitor and analyze supplier performance, spot market opportunities, inventory levels, pipeline and terminal capacity constraints, and delivery reliability; recommend contingency sourcing and re-routing plans for airport supply chains.
Manage and reconcile fuel inventory reporting, bunker receipts, uplift data and accounting feeds; investigate variances between physical volumes, delivery notes, and system records to support audit and financial controls.
Evaluate refinery production plans, refinery turnaround schedules, and refinery yields to assess potential jet fuel availability and margin impacts in relevant supply basins.
Model and quantify exposure for fuel hedge programs (basis risk, roll risk, liquidity risk), prepare monthly mark-to-market and exposure reports, and support execution of hedging transactions in coordination with treasury and trading desks.
Prepare commercial analyses for bid evaluations, RFPs and supplier negotiations including landed cost comparisons, port/terminal charges, quality testing costs, and risk allocation clauses.
Lead price and margin sensitivity analyses for route-level economics and ad hoc commercial inquiries, enabling network planners and revenue management teams to include fuel scenarios in network decisions.
Create and maintain standardized dashboards and KPI reporting (e.g., average delivered cost of fuel, realized hedge effectiveness, consumption variances, supplier fill rates) for senior management and operational stakeholders.
Coordinate with fuel quality and technical teams to monitor fuel specifications (ASTM D1655, DEF STAN, additives), and escalate non-conformances or contamination events while tracking corrective actions and supplier remediation.
Assess regulatory, environmental and tax developments (fuel taxes, ETS, carbon pricing, local surcharges) across jurisdictions that influence jet fuel landed cost and compliance obligations; quantify impacts on contracts and P&L.
Support operational planning for fuel uplift forecasting at airport/route level, integrating flight schedules, historic uplift patterns, and planned promotions to optimize fuel ordering and minimize stockouts or surplus.
Conduct credit and counterparty risk assessments for suppliers and customers in commercial agreements; advise on collateral, payment terms, and performance guarantees required for trading or procurement contracts.
Collaborate with IT and data teams to design and enhance data pipelines feeding price, shipment and accounting systems; validate data integrity and assist in automation of routine reporting tasks.
Prepare executive-level briefings and memos that translate complex market dynamics into concise commercial implications and recommended actions for procurement, trading, finance and operations.
Participate in accident/incident response involving fuel contamination or quality issues; compile root-cause analysis, coordinate with labs, suppliers and regulators, and manage claims processes.
Maintain competitive intelligence on merchant terminals, pipeline capacity, barging routes, and marine freight rates; propose alternative logistics or storage strategies to lower landed cost and increase resilience.
Support budget preparation and variance analysis for the fuel cost center, aligning forecasts to actual consumption and hedging results; work closely with FP&A and accounting teams to reconcile fuel costs.
Conduct project-based analysis such as evaluating the economics of airport fuel farms, into-plane services, or on-site blending facilities, including CAPEX/OPEX models and sensitivity testing.

Secondary Functions

Provide ad-hoc analytical support for cross-functional projects (network planning, sustainability initiatives, carbon offset planning) that require jet fuel cost and emissions inputs.
Collaborate with procurement, legal and finance to draft, review and update supplier contracts, including quality clauses, pricing formulas, and force majeure language specific to fuel supply agreements.
Train and mentor junior analysts on market data tools, modeling practices, supplier review processes, and internal reporting standards to increase team capability.
Contribute to continuous improvement by documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs) for price reporting, inventory reconciliation, and contract execution to improve auditability and reduce operational risk.
Support internal and external audit requests by preparing documentation, reconciliations, and narrative explanations of fuel accounting practices and hedging results.
Liaise with airport authorities, terminal operators and regulators to negotiate operational matters such as delivery windows, storage allocations, and emergency response protocols.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Market analysis for refined products (Jet A-1, JP-8) with demonstrated use of Platts, Argus, Bloomberg, S&P Global, IHS Markit or similar energy price services.
Quantitative modeling and forecasting using Excel (advanced functions, VBA), Python (pandas, NumPy), or R for time-series, regression and scenario analysis.
Commercial hedging experience: understanding of swaps, forwards, options, futures and OTC contracts; ability to model hedge effectiveness and basis risk.
Strong SQL skills for querying relational databases and assembling consumption, shipment and contract datasets for analysis.
Experience with fuel inventory management systems, ERP interfaces (e.g., SAP, Oracle), and reconciling physical vs financial records.
Familiarity with aviation fuel specifications (ASTM D1655, DEF STAN, ISO standards) and quality testing/chain-of-custody procedures.
Knowledge of shipping and logistics for marine and road transport (barges, truck cycles, pipeline nominations) and associated cost drivers.
Pricing formula development and contract structuring experience for physical fuel supply agreements, including landed cost calculations and escalation clauses.
Financial analysis skills: P&L attribution, mark-to-market valuation, sensitivity analysis, and contribution margin assessment.
Proficiency with business intelligence and visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau) to present KPIs and automated reporting dashboards.
Understanding of regulatory and tax frameworks that affect jet fuel pricing (excise taxes, environmental levies, ETS/cap-and-trade).
Experience with supplier performance metrics and negotiation tactics, including SLAs, penalties and contingency planning.
Familiarity with fuel quality and contamination incident investigation, claims handling and supplier recourse processes.
Ability to build and maintain data pipelines and collaborate with IT/Data Engineering to productionize analytical models.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to summarize complex market intelligence into concise executive briefings.
Strong stakeholder management across procurement, operations, trading, finance and legal teams.
Advanced problem-solving and critical-thinking skills with attention to detail and high numerical literacy.
Prioritization and time-management in fast-moving commodity markets with the ability to meet tight reporting deadlines.
Collaborative team player who can work cross-functionally and influence without formal authority.
Commercial mindset with pragmatic decision-making and appetite for continuous improvement.
Resilience and calm under pressure, particularly during market shocks or supply disruptions.
Ethical judgement and adherence to compliance, confidentiality and trade-control rules.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Chemical/Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Geoscience, Supply Chain/Logistics, or a related quantitative discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Finance, Applied Economics, Energy Management, Petroleum Engineering, or MBA with commodities concentration.
Professional certificates such as Energy Risk Professional (ERP), CFA (partial or full), or specialized courses in petroleum markets and fuel quality.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Finance / Economics
Petroleum Engineering / Chemical Engineering
Supply Chain Management / Logistics
Data Science / Applied Statistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of progressive experience in refined products, aviation fuels, commodities trading, procurement or fuel operations.

Preferred:

3+ years specific experience analyzing jet fuel markets, working on hedge programs, or supporting aviation fuel procurement for airlines, airports, trading houses or downstream oil companies.
Demonstrable track record of building forecasting models, managing supplier contracts, and delivering measurable cost or risk reduction outcomes.