Meal Merchant Trainee

Company Description

Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Our activities span the entire value chain from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines, we leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world. Structured as a matrix organization of six geographical regions and ten platforms, Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries and employs approximately 18,000 people globally.

Job Description

Overall Purpose and Objective of Position

As a Trainee Merchandiser, you'll gain hands-on experience supporting the commercialization of soybean meal produced at one of our major processing facilities while learning the fundamentals of merchandising, logistics, market analysis, and customer engagement.

In this role, you'll work closely with farmers, feed manufacturers, transportation providers, and internal commercial teams to help move products efficiently from the plant to customers. You'll develop a strong understanding of agricultural supply chains, commodity pricing, market dynamics, and customer service while building the skills needed for future growth within the organization.

Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions

• Merchandises soybean meal produced at a large soybean processing facility  
• Maintains daily communication with buyers to coordinate logistics services and assists with accounting issues
• Works with soybean origination team to maximize backhaul opportunities
• Defines and updates team regularly with merchandising and pricing strategy as well as SHP/SBM market outlook   

• Reviews the daily position to confirm accuracy & follows up with customers to ensure timely payment of invoices
• Stays up to date on competitive landscape through regular engagement with peers & end users
• Signs up new farmers with LDC using the MyLDC customer portal
• Works with soybean meal and soy hull pellet customers to address, evaluate and settle quality claims

Additional Responsibilities

• Answer phone calls and provide merchandising services to farmers.
  • 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.
• Assists other team members when needed (soybean origination team, soybean meal merchandising team, etc.)
• Works closely with soybean receiving office, learns Compuweigh and probing / grading operations.
• Occasionally communicates with truckers/suppliers regarding quality.
• Weekend work.
• Customer visits.
• Crop tours.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education/Professional Certifications/Licenses

Basic qualification: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Finance, Business Administration or other business discipline.

Experience

Basic qualifications:

• 1-3 years in the grain business in a merchandising capacity
• Experience arranging freight logistics and dispatching trucks

Preferred

• Experience with rail logistics and a familiarity with the eastern rail market

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (including any physical demands)

Basic qualifications:

• Working 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

Additional Information

Equipment Used

• Typical office equipment: PC, telephone, fax machine.

Working Conditions

• Primarily climate-controlled office environment.  Periodic visits to industrial operations areas are necessary with exposure during such visits to variety of temperatures and prevailing weather conditions. Interacts closely with personnel in other departments and company locations, interacts closely with middle and senior level management, domestic travel to visit customers required (up to 30% at times).  Call-ins or the extension of regular working hours (50-60 hours per week) are occasionally needed to complete time-sensitive projects or respond to emergencies.

Employee Supervision

• No direct supervision responsibilities but may supervise Merchandisers in the future

Decision Making/Accountability

• Processes a variety of information and data to help devise and execute trading strategies.  Negotiates with trade counterparts to maximize corporate returns.  Advises and recommends trading strategies, assesses risk pertaining to buying and selling and negotiates contract terms with clients.

What We Offer

We provide a dynamic and stimulating international environment, which will stretch and develop your abilities and channel your skills and expertise with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the largest and most solid private companies in the world.

- Comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental and vision care coverage, flexible spending account plans, employee assistance program, life insurance and disability coverage
- 401k with Company Match
- Family Friendly Benefits including childbirth and parental leave, fertility and family building benefits
- Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays
- Flexible work available (not applicable to all roles)

Diversity & Inclusion

LDC is driven by a set of shared values and high ethical standards, with diversity and inclusion being part of our DNA. LDC is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity, equity and inclusion.

LDC encourages diversity, supports local communities and environmental initiatives. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Equal employment opportunity (EEO)

Louis Dreyfus Company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Sustainability

Sustainable value is at the heart of our purpose as a company.

We are passionate about creating fair and sustainable value, both for our business and for other value chain stakeholders: our people, our business partners, the communities we touch and the environment around us