Product Manager - Lecithin, NAM (remote)

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 15,000 people globally.

This role will support commercial efforts for the LDC NAM Ingredients Group, with a focus on lecithin sales and business strategy for LDC’s lecithin future. This individual will market LDC lecithin, determine pricing, and maintain a book of suppliers and customers.

Successful candidates will leverage their existing customer relationships and lecithin market knowledge to elevate LDC’s customer portfolio.  The candidate will negotiate trades, build relationships with trading partners, and seek opportunities to generate margin and support business growth.  The candidate will also help guide LDC to determine the best new lecithin investments and guide our industry to create product specifications that customers seek.

Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions

• Manage key customer accounts for lecithin and relationships internal and external lecithin suppliers
• Bring in new customers and trading partners, and lead product approvals

• Conduct trades and execute contracts

• Balance plant production and/or purchases with product sales book to maintain comfortable inventory levels
• Understand market trends, pricing, risk management, and commercial landscape for lecithin with a North American Focus, but also have a view on global trends
• Foster discussion with the global ingredients team to continually look to take a “world-view” on lecithin and other LDC products
• Have a deep understanding of product functionality, use rates, and structure-function relationships of lecithin from all available botanicals.
• Understand customer needs germane to label claims and assist in ongoing product portfolio development

Additional Responsibilities

• Report on sales activity and contribute to PNL discussions
• Become knowledgeable of LDC products outside of lecithin with an expectation to cross market those products into lecithin customers, or sell them to non-lecithin customers.  NAM portfolio is heavy in glycerin and veg oils currently but will likely expand to other products in the near future.
• Communicate customer purchasing specifications with LDC team and liase with the industry and quality teams to support them to achieve best product quality to meet customer needs
• Follow up with customers on a regular cadence to ensure their needs are met in a timely manner
• Liaise with logistics and back-office team members to ensure smooth fulfillment of customer contracts

• Develop a good working relationship with the production plants, warehouse, logistics, quality, credit, legal, and back-office teams and drive information flow between groups as needed for business success
• Create presentations for customers or for internal management as needed

• Maintain customer knowledge in CRM

• Contribute to team discussions with trading ideas and risk management, inside & outside the ingredients group

Education/Professional Certifications/Licenses

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a business discipline, economics, or statistics

Experience

• 3-5 years commercial experience in lecithin, with customer relationship ownership
• Proven track record of building a customer book and successfully adding/keeping new business relationships
• Current contacts and relationships with lecithin customers, preferably in North America
• Fundamental understanding of lecithin market sizing and price history
• Experience across multiple types of lecithin (liquid, deoiled, hydrolyzed, or more)
• Experience with lecithin from multiple plant origins
• Familiarity with the production technology for lecithin that is commonly used and general pros/cons of alternatives.

Preferred qualifications:

• Familiarity with glycerin & veg oils, with sales experience
• Food safety and quality management knowledge
• Experience with futures hedging in commodities
• International trade experience
• Familiarity with rail, bulk truck, and dry van shipments
• Familiarity with packaging food products and warehouse storage
• Marketing and sales presentation experience
• Previous experience managing commodity arbitrage opportunities
• Been part of a team that saw the start-up of a new lecithin plant and contributed to that plant’s success

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (including any physical demands)

Basic qualifications:

• Interpersonal relationship skills
• Ability to work as part of a global team
• Advanced negotiation skills
• High mathematic aptitude
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Understanding of commonly used trade terms
• A self-starter that doesn’t require help to organize their day

Preferred qualifications:

• Risk management and risk mitigation strategies
• Understanding of complex business strategy/commercial game theories

Equipment Used

• MS Office
• Proprietary systems for execution, analysis, accounting
• Commodities trading software

Working Conditions

• Extensions of regular working hours are occasionally necessary to complete time-sensitive projects or to respond to emergencies. 
• Some travel expected – industry conferences, internal meetings, customer meetings.

#LI - remote

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
- Hybrid 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