Founded in 1851, Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Our activities across a diversified range of business lines span the entire value chain, from origination to distribution, helping to feed and clothe up to 500 million people every year. Our strong values, rich heritage, and clear vision for a safe and sustainable future guide us in our work to contribute to the global effort of providing sustenance for a growing population.
This position originates corn and negotiates forward contracts to buyers of distillers’ grains, assists and implements in devising corn origination strategies and distiller’s grains sales programs and manages logistics and receivables in support of the ethanol processing operation at a dry mill ethanol plant.
Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions • Aggressively originates corn by developing a rapport with local farming community through direct communication. • Maintains daily communication, organizes logistical services, and assists with accounting issues with suppliers and customers. • Manages inbound truck logistics for corn origination and outbound truck logistics for distillers’ grains • Negotiates forward sales contracts to buyers of wet and dry distillers’ grains and devises and executes origination strategies in corn and distillers’ grains Additional Responsibilities • Gathers news, statistics and information related to individual commodity supply and demand from customers and trade sources, and distributes that information to the remainder of the group to support overall strategic trading/positioning (i.e., contributes to research function) • Helps manage receivables and facilitates innovative methods to keep accounts receivable and average number of days to pay at a minimum • Identifies, qualifies and captures new business; develops and contributes to customer/supplier list. • Takes inventory measurements on corn, chemicals, and By-products. • Works closely with corn receiving office, learns Compuweigh and probing / grading operations. Occasionally communicates with truckers/suppliers regarding quality.
Required Skills
Basic qualifications: • Basic knowledge of futures markets, hedging and arbitrage • Strong verbal and written communication skills • Strong quantitative skills, including basic knowledge of statistics, algebra (e.g., supply and demand relationships, analysis of price relationships) • Ability to organize multiple responsibilities, prioritize workload and perform multiple tasks simultaneously • Ability to work with minimal supervision • Proficiency with spreadsheet and word processing software, (e.g., Excel and MS Word). • Must have valid driver’s license
Required Experience
Basic qualifications: • One to two years in one or more of the following: Commodity Merchandising/Origination/Trading or Commodity Risk Management or Logistics (i.e. coordination of shipments and deliveries)
Preferred qualifications: • Previous experience in corn, soymeal, DDG, ethanol and/or energy products
Basic qualifications: • Basic knowledge of futures markets, hedging and arbitrage • Strong verbal and written communication skills • Strong quantitative skills, including basic knowledge of statistics, algebra (e.g., supply and demand relationships, analysis of price relationships) • Ability to organize multiple responsibilities, prioritize workload and perform multiple tasks simultaneously • Ability to work with minimal supervision • Proficiency with spreadsheet and word processing software, (e.g., Excel and MS Word). • Must have valid driver’s license