Commercial Manager and Country Representative

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.

Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions

Commercial responsibilities:

• Own the Ethiopia coffee P&L, delivering budgeted volumes, gross margin and cash metrics; lead annual budget and rolling re-forecast processes.
• Originate and manage purchasing/export programs across grades and qualities; optimize sales mix and timing in line with platform strategy and market conditions.
• Manage counterparty risk using approved tools (hedging, balance-sheet view, credit exposure systems such as CRIS) within platform risk limits.
• Continuously identify in-country risks, threats and opportunities; capture new business and partnerships consistent with Coffee Platform strategy.

Country Representative, Governance & Compliance:

• Act as LDC Ethiopia Country Representative: ensure legal, regulatory and tax compliance; uphold internal policies and Code of Conduct.
• Maintain robust SOPs and internal controls across procurement, contracting, payments, and shipment execution.
• Track and improve operational KPIs (turnaround time, claims ratio, quality acceptance rate, on-time shipments).

Execution: Quality, Logistics & Documentation:

• Ensure flawless execution from purchase to shipment: sampling, grading, lot building, documentation and export.
• Negotiate and manage the performance of operational partners

Sustainability & Responsible Sourcing:

• Lead local execution of LDC sustainability initiatives; develop and scale responsible, traceable supply chains that meet customer and platform requirements.
• Identify and engage suitable partners in Ethiopia to advance the Coffee Platform’s strategic aims and LDC’s sustainability commitments. Oversee project execution according to Stronger Coffee initiatives and Responsible Sourcing standards, and maintain strong partner relationships to achieve and scale sustainability goals at origin.

Market Intelligence & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Gather and share Ethiopia market intel (crop flow, pricing, policy) with East Africa and global trading teams to inform positioning.
• Represent LDC with industry bodies and key stakeholders; strengthen LDC’s brand and partnerships in origin.

People Leadership:

• Build, coach and lead the Ethiopia team (trading, execution, quality, admin), including succession planning; foster a safe, ethical, high-performance culture.

Equipment Used

• Typical office equipment: PC, telephone, fax machine

Working Conditions

• Primarily climate-controlled office environment with occasional warehouse and fieldwork exposure.
• Regional travel is required.

Decision-Making/Accountability

• Exercises judgment within established parameters to arrive at appropriate decisions and actions to add value to the firm; Deploy the group's short, mid and long-term strategy with commitment, integrity and teamwork.

Education/Professional Certifications/Licenses

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in economics, finance, mathematics, food science and technology, agribusiness or a related discipline OR equivalent proven experience in the field.
• Proven P&L accountability and budget/forecast ownership in a commodity environment.
• Demonstrated capability managing counterparties and operational partners under defined SOPs.
• Coffee cupping experience or a certificate is preferred

Experience

• Minimum 5 years in a similar management position

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Strong people skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage and process large amounts of data
• Ability to organise multiple responsibilities, prioritise workload and perform multiple tasks simultaneously
• Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results
• Strong quantitative skills
• Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organisational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise
• Shows persistence when faced with complex problems or challenges
• Basic knowledge of statistics and probability concepts
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment
• Proficiency with MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel

Preferred Qualifications

• Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning
• Solid commodity trading experience

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.

Our Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits​​​​​​
• Hybrid work available (not applicable to all roles)
• Pension contributions
• Access to Training and Development 
• Access to Concierge Partnerships

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.

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