About Fastmarkets

Fastmarkets is an independent commodity pricing and information organisation with over 500 staff. We are fuelled by values that brings us all together and are united by a collective passion to make a difference. We are supported by a working model that we call “Working 3.0” that is based on flexibility and trust, which allows us to bring our best selves to work every day.

Fastmarkets is the most trusted Price Reporting Agency (PRA) in the metals, mining, agriculture, forest products, and energy transition markets. Our price data, forecasts, and market analyses give our customers strategic advantage in complex, volatile, often opaque markets. Our events provide forums for market participants to come together, trade, and talk through the critical issues of our times.

We are making a difference. Fastmarkets works to create transparent commodity markets through our reliable and trusted price data and market intelligence. The markets we serve are central to how economies work and are essential for our lives. By doing this, Fastmarkets helps our customers build a more sustainable world. We are built on a 130-year foundation while bringing a digital platform to market, combining the currency of trust with the power of digital.

Most importantly, we are fuelled by our teams that, across the globe, making the amazing possible. With a deep sense of purpose and belonging, we are building an extraordinary future – together. If you would like to help build the future, we hope you will join us on our journey.

Fastmarkets was founded in 1913 (as Metal Bulletin) and is a privately held UK-registered company. It is owned by global private equity firm Astorg, a specialist investor in healthcare, software, technology, business services and technology-based industrial companies.

Fastmarkets is looking for a London-based senior price reporter to assess benchmark prices across the base metals sector. It's an exciting time in the global non-ferrous industry as decarbonisation drives changes in production, supply chains and trade flows, making the content and pricing data we provide more essential than ever. The role involves working within a global team to publish proprietary market data and a broad range of content, from breaking news to in-depth analysis. Fastmarkets, a world-leader in global metals markets, is a fast-growing company with progressive policies such as flexible working and a 4.5 day working week.

Job purpose

To produce price assessments and industry-leading market commentary, breaking news and analysis, which demonstrates PRA-aligned knowledge across multiple markets.To support the development of Fastmarkets’ prices.

Principal accountabilities

• Produce exemplary price assessments and indices in line with company methodology, price specifications, and IOSCO principles across a range of markets
• Peer review and approve price assessments and indices in order to ensure prices are representative and judgement has been exercised consistently
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive contact-base, using all means of communication including face-to-face meetings and networking
• Deliver actionable, regular, accurate market commentary in a timely manner, as well as in-depth features, focus pieces and analysis, with minimal editing needed. Demonstrate depth and breadth in this content through experience and knowledge
• Demonstrate complex and consistent use of judgement to produce representative prices in challenging and opaque markets
• Back colleagues up on their pricing patches when necessary and peer review and editor approve their prices to ensure processes have been duly followed and editorial judgement correctly applied
• Travel to, attend, report on and present at events and webinars, and chair panel discussions when deemed appropriate by editors on behalf of the company
• Take responsibility for key aspects of projects to launch new prices and promote current prices. Engage in and lead detailed, formal discussion of specifications internally and externally as part of specification reviews; take initiative by challenging processes; suggest and deliver improvements to current offering
• Support the whole team’s editorial processes. Mentor and coach other reporters where requested by editors, or as opportunities arise, to share knowledge and foster growth in the team
• Take ownership and be authoritative within your markets: organize and chair meetings internally where a collaborative approach to pricing, news, etc, would achieve better results than working independently

Key interfaces

• Work within the global team to develop prices, news and market commentary.
• Reports to regional editor

Skills and knowledge

• A high level of written and spoken English is essential. Knowledge of another language is helpful but not required
• Cross-market knowledge of a number of market beats required, with deep expertise and reach evident in at least one market
• The skill and capacity to take part in and lead detailed specification reviews, delivering on all compliance standards
• Team player who fosters excellent working culture and acts - both internally and externally - in a courteous and professional manner with impeccable integrity
• General desire to expand market knowledge and commitment to join in projects and take part in training courses
• Ability and confidence to present in a professional manner at industry events
• Confidence to take ownership and provide leadership within a team working on projects
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to take initiative to cover stories, develop price offering and to communicate this offering professionally to market participants
• Strong networking skills and a good confident telephone manner. It needs discipline and dynamism

Experience

• Practical experience in PRA journalism and writing is necessary for this role
• Experience working with numbers and spreadsheets and producing regular market reports and insightful editorial copy required
• Experience speaking to an audience on panels, webinars, or delivering presentations to external parties
• Experience delivering market consultations, or launching and developing prices ideal
• An interest in and understanding of financial markets or commodities is needed.
• Full training in specific market factors will be provided over a period of one month after which the senior reporter should be able to discover and assess prices competently and accurately in line with company standards.

About you

We recruit talented, dynamic people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, all united by a belief in our mission to provide the world’s leading and most trusted price reporting, events, and intelligence service for the markets we serve. We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to creating a fully inclusive workplace, where everyone feels able to participate and contribute meaningfully. You must be open-minded, curious, resilient, and solutions-oriented, and committed to promoting equality.

If you're excited about the role but your experience, skills or qualifications don't perfectly align, we encourage you to apply anyway.

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  METRICS DRIVEN. We use insights to improve our customers’ experience and our business performance
  
• ACCOUNTABLE. We are accountable to ourselves and those we work with: we keep our promises and get things done
  
• GROWTH MINDSET. This value enables us to be nimble to the changing realities and operate with a sense of urgency
  
• INCLUSIVE. We are inclusive and respectful, celebrating each of us and giving everyone a deep sense of belonging with the desire to bring their best self to work every day.
  
• CUSTOMER CENTRIC. We are customer-centric in all that we do
  
• COLLABORATIVE. We are collaborative, able to work across teams and capitalise on the diversity of intellect, perspectives, and experiences.

If you like what you’ve read so far and think you can see yourself as a Fastmarkets person, it’s time to fill in your application form. This form is an important part of the selection process: it’s used to determine whether or not you’ll be chosen to have an interview and acts as a basis for the questions we’ll ask you on the day. It’s vital that you try to capture all the relevant information we have asked for on the form so we can get a good feel for who you are and why you’re great.