Junior Ingredients Trader

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 17,000 people globally.

This position is responsible for supporting commercial efforts for the LDC Ingredients Business in North America. This individual will assist in pricing, position management, market analysis, and coordinate with logistics, quality, and back-office teams to ensure customer expectations are met.   A successful trainee will grow to take ownership of customer relationships and trading positions, as well as pursue new customers.  Products of focus will initially include glycerin, lecithin, canola oil and soybean oil, with the expectation that the product portfolio will expand in the coming years.  

Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions

• Assist commercial team in pricing trades and keep track of pricing inquiry traffic from customers via email/phone using CRM
• Conduct ongoing market analysis for key commodities

• Manage customer documentation requests and liaise with LDC Quality Control team

• Report volumes, contract status, and shipment status to Sr. Commercial team

• Contract administration and sales/inventory forecasting
• Timely, courteous, and helpful responses to customer needs
• Develop a working knowledge of LDC production plants, products, and capabilities
• Gain and maintain in-depth understanding of the markets for LDC products relative to competition, price, logistics capabilities, and quality
• Assist in pricing contracts with oil customers and learning to hedge oil trades

Additional Responsibilities

• Become comfortable with all shipment methods and strategize for logistical efficiency and cost savings
• Help pursue new customer opportunities
• Develop a working relationship with the production plants, warehouse, logistics, quality, credit, legal, and back-office teams and look to facilitate information flow between groups as needed for business success
• Assist in creating presentations for customers or for internal management as needed
• Contribute to group conversations around product price discovery and market drivers

Basic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a business discipline, economics, or statistics
• Minimum 1-2 years commercial experience in food ingredients, commodities, or vegetable fats/oils
• Understanding of supply and demand fundamentals and/or balance sheet work on a commodity

Preferred qualifications:

• Any of the following: food safety experience, product knowledge (any vegetable oils or liquid food ingredients), international trade experience, commodity futures trading experience, sales experience

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (including any physical demands)

• Interpersonal relationship skills
• Ability to work as part of a global team
• Negotiation skills
• High mathematic aptitude
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Competitive, self-driven, able to multitask well and prioritize a workload with multiple deadlines

Preferred qualifications:

• Understanding of commonly used trade terms
• 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. 
• Limited travel expected.  Potentially 2-4 business trips per year that would be 1-3 days long.  

Additional Information for the job

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