Eugene Gaysinsky – Analyst, Commodities Investors Structuring, New York

I first heard about Barclays Capital from recruiting events at my university. I learned about the Commodities division through a number of short interviews during my first few months on the job.

I grew an interest in the way commodity financial products are connected to the physical world – barrels of oils; real world supply and demand for physical products, etc. I was intrigued by the added complexity of pricing and hedging some of these products because of this connection.

In my current role I’m responsible for developing new investor index strategies linked to commodities. I also work with salespeople to educate clients about our existing products - the benefits and the risks involved.

During a typical day I divide my time between (1) discussing behaviours, benefits, and risks of index strategies with salespeople and clients; (2) preparing marketing materials such as presentations and brochures for our existing index products; (3) investigating new strategies clients may be interested in.

Our team develops commodity structured products for investor clients. We work with commodity trading teams within the division to ensure efficient hedging of these products and work with the salesforce to distribute products to interested clients.

Other members of my team, the trading team, the salesforce and the index products research team.

The job is open-ended. There are no specific rules for what to do. The overall goal is to build a business that is profitable and serves our clients better than our competitors.

You need a combination of great quantitative skills, friendly and cordial demeanor, as well as coolness under pressure.

My best project was preparing an analysis and helping develop a strategy for closing a large trade with one of our biggest clients.

Barclays Capital offers a challenging work environment surrounded by great colleagues. Most importantly, it provides an opportunity to be part of building a great business.