Trade House Manager | Gold & Precious Metals

Title: Trade House Manager – Gold Trading House
Package: Salary paid in Dubai, UAE residency, accommodation and security arrangements provided
Location: East Africa – relocation required
Start: November 2026

Imperium Commodity Search is retained by a newly established gold trading business to appoint a Trade House Manager to commission and lead the technical operation of a new gold buying and processing facility in East Africa.

The business will purchase gold directly from artisanal and small-scale miners, providing a professional, transparent and efficient alternative to the informal buying market. Gold will be purchased locally, retorted where required, melted, assayed and cast into doré before being exported to an established refinery in Dubai under an agreed offtake arrangement.

This is an unusual and highly hands-on appointment.

The Trade House Manager will be the sole technical specialist on site during the launch phase and will take personal responsibility for the gold from the point it arrives at the counter through to secure storage and preparation for export.

That means assessing material, operating the retort and induction furnaces, preparing and conducting XRF assays, calculating fine gold content, overseeing settlement, reconciling inventory and producing finished doré for shipment.

Local support will be provided across security, transport, translation, reception and general operations, but the successful candidate must be comfortable making the technical decisions themselves. There will initially be no second assayer, metallurgist or experienced operator on site to provide cover or check the work.

The operation is expected to handle approximately 5–15kg of fine gold per month at launch, with volumes targeted to increase significantly through 2027. As the business develops, the Trade House Manager will also play an important role in training and developing local staff and helping establish the operating standards and disciplines required for a larger trading operation.

This is therefore not a conventional management position. It would suit an experienced gold operator, assayer, refinery professional or precious metals buyer who remains technically hands-on and is motivated by the opportunity to build an operation from the ground up.

You will be:

• Taking complete technical ownership of gold purchased through the trading house, from initial inspection and acceptance through to secure storage and export preparation
• Assessing gold and gold-bearing material presented by artisanal and small-scale miners and determining whether it is suitable for purchase
• Personally operating mercury retorting equipment safely and effectively, including appropriate vapour monitoring, containment and exposure controls
• Operating induction furnaces to melt individual lots and consolidate material into export-ready doré bars
• Preparing samples correctly and carrying out XRF analysis, including daily calibration against certified reference standards
• Interpreting assay results and understanding the impact of surface preparation, matrix effects, calibration drift and systematic bias
• Calculating fine gold content and applying the appropriate purchase price against the daily posted gold price
• Maintaining accurate lot records and ensuring disciplined custody and control throughout the buying and processing cycle
• Reconciling input weights, processed material and physical inventory each day, identifying and investigating any unexplained variance
• Comparing internal XRF results with subsequent refinery fire-assay results and identifying any developing systematic discrepancies
• Consolidating purchased material into serialised doré bars and overseeing weighing, recording, sealing and documentation for export
• Supporting the secure movement of material to the regional export point for onward shipment to Dubai
• Maintaining rigorous operating, HSE, security and custody procedures throughout the facility
• Supervising local support staff and progressively training an understudy and wider local team as the operation develops
• Working directly with the business owner and taking a high degree of personal responsibility for the successful commissioning and operation of the facility

We would love to speak to you if you have:

• Strong practical experience of gold melting and doré casting, including personally operating an induction furnace, managing crucibles and fluxing and producing finished bars
• Hands-on experience of XRF gold assay, including calibration against certified reference materials, correct surface preparation and interpretation of assay results
• Practical experience operating a mercury retort, alongside a strong understanding of mercury HSE, vapour monitoring, containment and exposure control
• A strong understanding of gold inventory reconciliation and mass balance, including melt loss and the investigation of variances
• The confidence and judgement to operate independently as the principal technical authority within a small, developing operation
• Strong custody and security discipline, particularly around precious metals, controlled access, witnessed transfers and sealed movements
• The ability to supervise and train local employees who may begin with limited technical experience
• Experience buying gold directly from artisanal or small-scale miners, including pricing, material acceptance/refusal and seller relationships, which would be highly advantageous
• Experience gained within a gold refinery, precious metals trading house, jewellery manufacturing operation, gold buying centre or similar hands-on environment
• A practical, ownership-led mentality and the willingness to personally perform the work rather than manage it from a distance
• The adaptability and resilience to operate in a remote, developing-market environment with limited technical support

Formal academic qualifications are not essential. This appointment is primarily about practical capability and breadth of hands-on experience. A time-served gold operator who can confidently melt, assay, retort and reconcile material is likely to be more relevant than somebody with impressive qualifications but limited bench experience.

Candidates do not require experience of chemical refining, cyanide or gravity circuits, ore processing or large-scale mine operations.

Location & Relocation

This is a permanent site-based appointment in East Africa and relocation to the region is required. It is not a Dubai-based position and candidates should be comfortable living and working full-time in a developing-market environment.

Employment will be through a Dubai entity, with salary paid in Dubai and UAE residency provided. The company will also provide suitable accommodation and comprehensive security arrangements at the operating location.

The role will involve regular movement within the region in connection with the secure handling and export of material, with finished doré ultimately shipped to Dubai for refining.

Candidates should be comfortable with the realities of a remote launch environment and the high degree of professional independence that comes with it. During approximately the first six months, the operation will be highly dependent on the Trade House Manager and extended periods of leave will therefore be difficult until local capability has been developed and additional technical cover appointed.

For the right individual, this represents a rare opportunity to take genuine ownership of a greenfield precious-metals operation: commissioning the facility, establishing its technical standards and playing a central role in building a scalable gold trading business from its inception.

To arrange a confidential discussion around this opportunity, please contact Mark Taylor or Jonathan Margrave

Email: london@imperiumcs.com
Tel: +44 (0)203 927 5090 (UK)