The Senior Merchant is an experienced commodity trader with developed trade skills. This role has responsibility to interpret a market, formulate and communicate market opinions and take risk/reward positions for the Scoular company. A Senior Merchant is expected to build deep customer relationships with both the buyer and seller and plays a critical role in mentoring and guiding other Merchants on the team.
Job Responsibilities:
Market Analytics:
- Assure that the trade unit is in compliance with all risk management policies.
- Assess market trends, key leading indicators and is proficient in the market.
- Review product supply and demand and formulate opinions related to the market to make trade decisions that create revenue for the trade unit or product group.
- Manage a position or subset of the overall position for the business.
- Expected to have opinion on market everyday.
Logistics/Execution:
- Lead execution logistics planning and strategy. Includes fundamental knowledge of truck/rail execution and commodity arbitrage.
- Manage relationships with the freight providers.
- Negotiate freight contracts.
- Arbitrage the position for optimal execution.
- Expected to problem solve in midst of execution and day to day execution issues.
Customer Relationship Building:
- Recruit customers and business that support the business unit’s business strategy.
- Develop and maintain the extensive and varied business relationships in the marketplace.
- Provide customers with accurate market information and answers to questions about their business transactions, such as settlements.
- Build effective, on-going interaction with both current and potential customers.
- Act as a front line negotiator for handling trading conflicts.
- Responsible for customer experience to ensure Scoular delivers a favorable customer experience (supplier, end user, carrier).
P&L Planning & Management:
- Partner with Trade Unit Manager to manage the P&L for the assigned business or subset of the business.
- Prepare monthly, quarterly, annual P&L estimates for the trade unit or product group.
- Provide monthly P&L results and quarterly forecasts.
- Manage daily position report for the trade unit.
- Accountable to maintain position limits, credit limits and in store inventories as defined by division leadership and trade finance.
- Create forecasts to inform the Trade Unit Manager.
People Development/Training:
- Coach/mentor other Merchants on the team and give Merchandiser Assistants daily direction.
- Create/drive collaboration within the division and company.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- 4+ years merchandising experience.
- College degree in business related field or equivalent experience.
- Proven critical thinking skills and ability to drive strategy forward.
- Demonstrated exceptional customer service skills and relationship building capability.
- Proven ability to perform in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrated aptitude in accounting and financial practices and procedures.
- Highly skilled in problem solving techniques
Preferred Qualifications:
- Proficiency with Microsoft Suite, along with desire to learn new programs.
- Active involvement in industry agriculture association groups.
- Demonstrated leadership skills.
- Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural macroeconomics.
