The posting
(SENIOR) ASSOCIATE – ENERGY MARKETS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (RAILWAY POWER & PPAS)
OUR MISSION FOR YOU
European energy costs are 2x compared to US and China. Electricity demand is expected to double by 2050. Market price volatility & complexity are here to stay. The backbone of Europe's industrial economy is at risk - and companies need to act now.
trawa is building the solution: the first integrated B2B energy platform that orchestrates procurement, energy management, and flexibility steering in one product. Supply, Manage, Flex - combined. That integration unlocks up to 30% in recurring electricity cost savings - all while helping companies switch to renewable energy.
We're the fastest-growing B2B energy platform in Europe. Active in Germany and Austria now, and expanding operations to a third market in 2027. We're on the road to European scale and move fast - the market window is open and we intend to own it.
ABOUT TRAWA
trawa is a scale-up based in Berlin with ~100 FTE, ~30 of whom work in Product & Tech. We've raised over €35M to date, including a €24M Series A in May 2025, backed by Balderton, Headline, Speedinvest, AENU, Magnetic, and Tiny VC. All three founders are on board and 100% committed to build the utility of the future.
We're looking for a (Senior) Associate – Energy Markets & Business Development (Railway Power & PPAs) to own an important part of our energy value chain. You'll report directly to our Energy Operations Manager with close collaboration with the COO and Trading Team. You'll shape the product that makes European industry competitive again - and you'll do it at pace. This role is based in Berlin. trawa is an "office first" company, which means you will work from the office typically five days per week.
THE TEAM
You'll join our Energy Operations team, which owns the energy side of our business - from sourcing and portfolio management to making sure our customers' energy products work in practice. You'll work hand in hand with our Trading Team as well as with Sales, Pricing, Product and Tech. You start without direct reports, but with a clear mandate: build and grow the business areas you own.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
As (Senior) Associate – Energy Markets & Business Development, you combine a strong analytical mind with business building:
Build our railway power business: A significant share of our customers comes from the railway power (Bahnstrom) segment. You take ownership of this segment from a trading and energy perspective - you understand its specific market setup, improve how we forecast, source, price and supply railway power, and make us the go-to partner for these customers. You dig into how we currently predict our railway customers' energy demand and find ways to make these forecasts more accurate. You also build partnerships with IT service providers from the railway industry and with infrastructure operators.
Lead international railway expansion: You drive the expansion of our railway power offering into further European countries - you analyse market structures, regulation and commercial potential, and contribute your findings into a concrete go-to-market plan.
Expand our long-term product offering: Our customers buy long-term products from us, such as PPAs and Future/Forwards products. You develop our offering so we can provide more and better-fitting products to our customers.
Architect of the long-term trading process: You centralise and streamline the end-to-end process from pricing and offer creation to actual trade execution across Sales, Pricing, Trading and Operations - making it faster, more robust and scalable, and ultimately enabling a better product for our customers.
Bridge between trading and business: You work closely with our quant trading and data science team and turn their models and insights into processes and systems that work across teams and markets - so that pricing, risk and market insights reliably translate into better decisions and products for our customers.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Strong quantitative skills: You think analytically, feel at home with numbers and data and can confidently challenge quantitative results - without having to be a quant or developer yourself. Ideally, you have a degree in a quantitative or business field (e.g. economics, engineering, industrial engineering, business administration).
Business acumen & venture mindset: You think commercially, enjoy building new business areas from scratch and prioritise by impact.
Interest in energy markets & trading: You are fascinated by how energy markets work - from wholesale and forward markets to PPAs, hedging and pricing - and want to dive deep into them. First exposure to these topics is a strong plus.
Hungry & ambitious: You want to grow fast, take on responsibility early and set high standards for yourself. You don't wait for instructions - you find answers, push topics forward and enjoy a steep learning curve.
High ownership & structured execution: You drive topics end-to-end, align stakeholders across departments and turn ideas into scalable processes with tangible business impact.
Communication: You speak German at native level and very good English, and you translate confidently between commercial, quantitative and operational perspectives.
90 DAY GOALS
After 6 Weeks (Onboarding):
- You have understood trawa's business, product and energy value chain in detail and got to know all relevant internal and external stakeholders.
- You understand our railway power customers, their contracts, how we currently forecast their energy demand and how we source, price and supply their energy.
- You have mapped our current long-term trading process - from pricing and offer creation to trade execution - and identified the key pain points.
Month 3 (Ramp-Up):
- You are the go-to person for trading and energy questions in the railway power segment, have implemented first improvements and developed a concept for improving our demand forecasts for railway customers.
- You have delivered a first assessment of potential expansion markets for railway power, including a recommendation on which country to tackle first, and have identified and approached first potential partners among railway IT service providers and infrastructure operators.
- You have designed a target process for our long-term trading, started its implementation and proposed first additions to our long-term product offering.
WHAT WILL HELP YOU SUCCEED
- Work experience in a high-paced environment, e.g. a start-up, scale-up or consulting.
- Experience in energy markets - especially in energy trading, origination or pricing - or in financial trading markets.
- Knowledge of the German energy market and/or the railway power (16.7 Hz traction power) market.
- An affinity for AI-powered tools and automation to make processes faster and smarter.
WHY US?
Impact: European SMEs spend between €150k and €10M per year on electricity — most are overpaying and locked into outdated procurement. Your product will directly change how thousands of companies buy, manage, and use energy. The impact is measurable, the market is massive, and the timing is now.
The Role: You build business areas at the intersection of trading, energy and venture development - with direct impact on our revenue, our product offering and our expansion across Europe.
Responsibility & Support: You own real business areas from day one - backed by our Energy Operations Manager, the COO and an experienced Trading Team who help you ramp up quickly and grow into the role.
Ownership: We empower our team members to take ownership of their work and drive results, regardless of background or experience level.
Learning & Growth: We provide an annual budget and dedicated time for professional development. You'll have opportunities for mentorship, learning, and career progression.
Diversity and Inclusion: We're an equal opportunity employer, and our team reflects that. Our organisation brings together over 15 nationalities, contributing a variety of languages, experiences, and perspectives. At trawa, we're family-friendly with parents across all levels, and our diversity is represented throughout the company, including leadership. We're committed to an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work.
Package & Benefits: We offer a competitive compensation package including salary and stock options, 30 days of vacation, and a range of benefits including subsidies for home internet and lunches, a Sports Club membership, dedicated learning days with an annual learning budget, plus a weekly team lunch and regular team events.
At trawa, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply - you may be the right fit for this or another opportunity.
